There are different kinds of tuna pasta mayonnaise salad recipes to choose from but if you want to make an easy snack, simplicity is the key. You can just use these three ingredients (with perhaps a little salt and pepper to taste) or add a few more things to make it even better.
First you need to cook the pasta, following the instructions on the package. You can use white or whole wheat pasta. Any shape is fine too – shells, penne, spaghetti or another kind. Cook the pasta until it is al dente rather than too soft. Drain the pasta and let it cool. If you have leftover pasta in the refrigerator you could use that instead.
In a big bowl, stir a spoonful of mayonnaise into the cooled pasta. Drain a can of tuna in brine or tuna in oil and flake it with a fork. Make sure you drain it really well because you don’t want this extra oil in the dish.
Stir this into the pasta mixture. You now have a basic tuna pasta mayonnaise salad.
What Else Can You Add?
To liven up your tuna salad recipe, you might like to add herbs, spices and seasonings. Salt, black pepper, chili powder, cayenne pepper, oregano, parsley, coriander and basil are just some of the ingredients you can choose from. Try a pinch of mixed dried herbs or some fresh basil leaves you have shredded with your fingers, garlic powder, finely diced green onion or whatever else comes to mind.
You can also add some kind of tomatoes like fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes or tomato paste. If you do that, you might choose to also add some fresh basil leaves to complement the tomato flavor, or some parmesan cheese or grated cheddar because cheese is also good with tomato. Take your pick from cheeses actually. Goat cheese, cheddar, mozzarella… oh they are all good!
Even more tasty extras include pine nuts and pesto, sliced green or black olives, chopped anchovies, capers, drained sweet corn kernels, finely chopped cucumber and mustard. Just pick a couple of these rather than the whole lot, else you might get flavor overload!
If you want to make the best tuna salad or something like a chicken Caesar salad just focus on the flavors you want to shine through, and use the best quality ingredients. You can’t get it wrong then.
How to Serve It
Serve this tuna pasta mayonnaise salad by itself as a quick snack, with some crackers or a bread roll to make it a bit more substantial or as a side dish. You might choose to serve it in a big lettuce leaf for a nice looking starter recipe.
