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Spicy Tuna Pasta Salad

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Spicy Tuna Pasta Salad is an easy cold pasta salad to serve during grilling season or to bring to your next potluck. It’s perfect as a make-ahead side dish or lunch. You’ll love the delicious, creamy, sweet and spicy dressing!

If you’re looking for more make-ahead salads, try my Mediterranean Bean Salad!

A closeup of Spicy Tuna Pasta Salad in a white bowl next to a blue linen

This Spicy Tuna Salad is such a fun twist on classic creamy tuna salad. The dressing has sweetness from the relish and heat from the hot sauce, which pairs really well with the tuna and pasta. The vegetables add lots of colour, texture and nutrition. We love this salad as a meal prep lunch or for bringing along to potlucks.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make the salad. See the recipe card below for exact quantities and detailed instructions!

For the salad you’ll need

  • Rotini or fusilli pasta – one pound, uncooked
  • Tuna – two 5-ounce cans
  • Bell pepper – I used red, but yellow and orange would be nice too!
  • Carrot – grated so you get little bits in each bite!
  • Celery – diced small
  • Red onion – ditto on the small dice, so its flavour doesn’t overpower

For the dressing you’ll need

  • Mayonnaise – for creamy texture and flavour
  • Greek yogurt – to add creaminess, but with fewer calories, less fat and more protein than mayonnaise. I used a 2% variety. I initially tested the recipe with just mayonnaise, but the tuna basically soaks up all the dressing, so you need more volume of dressing to cover the noodles really well.
  • Sweet pickle relish – adds sweet flavour to the dressing that complements the heat of the hot sauce
  • Apple cider vinegar – for acidity
  • Sriracha – or substitute your favourite hot sauce. We also tested this with Frank’s RedHot, but you need quite a bit more of it to get a spicy kick!
  • Sea salt and ground black pepper – I suggest a teaspoon of salt in the recipe, but add more to taste, if necessary.
Cooked tuna, diced celery, diced red pepper and grated carrot in a glass bowl next to a blue linen and a bowl of dressing

How to make it

First, cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain the hot water, then rinse with cold water to cool the noodles quickly and reduce stickiness. Be sure to drain the cold water very well.

Next, make the dressing. Whisk together the mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, relish, hot sauce, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper.

Then, assemble the salad. In a large bowl, combine the pasta, tuna, bell pepper, carrot, celery and red onion. Gently stir in the dressing until everything is well coated. Chill covered in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving.

Spicy Tuna Pasta Salad in a large glass bowl next to a blue linen and white wooden serving utensils

Tips for Success

Rinse the cooked pasta with cold water. Don’t skip this step! There are two benefits: first, it cools down the pasta quickly, and second, it removes excess starch from the noodles that would cause them to stick together.

Drain the noodles well. After you rinse the noodles, be sure to let them drain really well. Excess water would dilute the flavour of the dressing!

Let it chill. Letting the salad chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour gives the flavours a chance to blend and the salad tastes best served cold.

Adjust the heat. Use more or less hot sauce to suit your taste! The recipe as written (3 tablespoons Sriracha) gives a moderately spicy aftertaste. Different types of hot sauce vary in their level of heat, so keep that in mind when you decide how much to add. Taste as you go!

Spicy Tuna Pasta Salad in two white bowls next to a blue linen and parsley

More make-ahead salads

A closeup of Spicy Tuna Pasta Salad in a white bowl next to a blue linen

Spicy Tuna Pasta Salad

Laura Lawless, BASc
Spicy Tuna Pasta Salad is an easy cold salad to serve during grilling season or to bring to your next potluck. It's an ideal make-ahead side dish or lunch, with a delicious, creamy sweet and spicy dressing!
5 from 6 votes

Click stars to rate now! ↑

Servings 8
Calories 483
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

For the salad

  • 1 lb uncooked rotini or fusilli pasta (use a gluten-free variety if necessary)
  • 2 five-ounce cans tuna, drained
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 cup grated carrot
  • 1 cup diced celery
  • 1/2 cup small-dice red onion

For the dressing

Instructions
 

  • Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package instructions. Once it's done cooking, drain the hot water then rinse with cold water. Allow the cold water to drain well. Rinsing will stop the pasta from cooking further and reduce the stickiness of the noodles.
  • Make the dressing. In a medium bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, relish, hot sauce, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper.
  • Assemble the salad. In large bowl, combine the cooked pasta, tuna, bell pepper, carrot, celery and red onion. Gently mix in the dressing until all ingredients are evenly coated. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving. Store any leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator and eat within 4 days.

Nutrition Estimate

Calories: 483kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 652mg | Potassium: 386mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 3302IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 2mg

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Portrait of Laura Lawless in a green sweater standing in front of white shelving filled with food photography props.

Hey, I’m Laura!

Creator of The Recipe Well


If you’re looking for easy meals and Instant Pot recipes, you’re in the right place! I use my nutrition degree to create simple, approachable recipes that will help you find your happy place in the kitchen.

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Recipe Rating




8 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Wow!! So so good!! Lovely twist on a classic fave. My family devoured it. Can’t wait to bring it to a BBQ and be the hero. Lol well done.

  2. 5 stars
    Our favorite pasta salad

    1. Laura Lawless, BASc says:

      Love hearing this! Thanks for leaving a review!

  3. 5 stars
    I made this for my family tonight and it was a hit! We had it with burgers, so delicious. Thank you!

  4. 5 stars
    Love this for family lunches. I added peas and corn to the salad as well.

    1. Laura Lawless, BASc says:

      So glad you enjoy it! Peas and corn sound like great additions!

  5. 5 stars
    I was a little hesitant to make this because there were no reviews on it. But I am so glad I did. I made this yesterday and let it sit overnight in the frig. I tried it today and it is DELICIOUS!!! Only thing I did different was add a little sugar, maybe a teaspoon?? but that’s it. This was amazing and I am already thinking of adding seafood next time I make it. Everyone should try this. Note: The sauce on its own … amazing. I did make my sauce in a separate bowl and didnt use all of it so I am already thinking of what kind of sandwich ima put it on.

    1. Laura Lawless, BASc says:

      Thanks so much for your lovely review, Cindy! So glad you enjoyed it!