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This tuna pasta salad recipe is the perfect quick meal that is made up of pantry staples you probably have on hand! It makes a delicious quick lunch or side dish for a backyard barbecue!

Perfectly cooked shell noodles are enrobed in a light dressing flavored with lots of dill and a dash of celery salt. Green peas and a fresh and bright bite to this perfect pasta salad.
The best tuna pasta salad recipe
Make this pasta salad! It’s the absolute best! It’s my momma’s. One of the three things she makes and makes so perfectly there’s no contest (the other two would be her lasagna and her cream cheese frosting).
It’s so simple! And so dang good it makes me forget I don’t like tuna.
Ingredients for this recipe
- Tuna
- Small shell pasta
- Frozen Peas
- Mayo (Duke's or death, y’all)
- Miracle Whip (don’t judge, it works, and it’s Midwestern)
- Dill & Celery Salt (use as much as you think you need, then use more)
- Sugar
- Milk
Truly this recipe is so easy! And even more delicious. And is very much a pantry staple/crowd pleaser/game changer. I give it to you as a humble offering during this trying time. And for all the brighter days yet to come.
Tuna Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 box small shell pasta
- ¾ cup mayonnaise preferably Duke’s
- ¾ cup Miracle Whip
- ½ - 1 tsp. celery salt
- 1– 2 tsp. dried dill
- 2– 3 tsp. sugar
- 2 cans albacore tuna drained (wild caught, if you can)
- 2– 3 TBSP milk
- ½ bag frozen peas
Instructions
- Boil noodles according to package directions in a bowl of heavily salted water. Drain and rinse with cold water before setting aside.
- In a large bowl (or a big ol’ Tupperware), mix together the mayo, Miracle Whip, celery salt, dill, and sugar until smooth. Stir in tuna and make sure it’s broken up into little chunks.
- Stir in pasta and toss to coat, adding milk until a creamy texture is reached. Stir in the peas (still frozen – just trust) and taste. Adjust seasoning as necessary, adding more celery salt or dill to taste. Place in fridge for at least 1 hour before serving.
Roger says
Leave out the milk. An otherwise niceto-have recipe for its simplicity.
Amanda says
Always great to make a recipe your own. Thanks for making this great pasta salad recipe, Roger!