Pasta Salad With Tuna

We often think of pasta salad as a summer recipe. It’s made for parties, backyard BBQ’s, and family gatherings. But the truth is that pasta salad makes a great recipe all year long. This pasta salad with tuna is good for lunches as well.

Kids can take this as a lunch to school, it doesn’t need to be reheated and it’s loaded with lean protein and vegetables so it’s good for even healthier diets!

If you usually take lunch to work this is also a good choice. You don’t have to worry about finding a microwave and this tastes great even if it’s not quite refrigerator cold until lunch rolls around.

Here is a quick list that shows you everything you will need to make this delicious pasta salad recipe. If you really don’t like tuna you could swap that out for something else like chicken. If you are looking for lent recipes this one is perfect! Great for lunches or dinners when you need something filling, delicious, and quick.

• 1 16-ounce box of mini penne pasta
• 3 ounces tuna
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup Miracle Whip salad dressing
• ¼ cup taco seasoning
• 1 can of sweet yellow corn
• 1 can of black beans
• 1 can of mixed chili beans
• 1 can diced green chilies
• 1 cup red, yellow, and orange bell peppers
• 1 cup tortilla strips for garnish if desired

Can pasta salad be frozen?

You can freeze pasta salad so if you want to make some in advance and thaw it out when needed you can. I think that it works best to just make the pasta in advance and thaw that before mixing the other ingredients into it.

Sometimes the dressing gets a little funky if it’s frozen and thawed. Honestly, in our house this gets eaten too quickly to worry about having enough to freeze for later use.

This is an easy recipe. You can make this quickly on weeknights or for meal prep on the weekends. If you need to make this a gluten free pasta salad just swap out the pasta for a different type that suits your needs.

Make sure to check your other ingredients for trace gluten as well. Taco seasonings and even mayonnaise can sometimes be hiding gluten and wheat ingredients so if you need to make this gluten free just keep an eye on those ingredients.

1. Add pasta to 6 quarts of lightly salted water. Cook according to the instructions on the bag. Remove pan from stove and drain the water.
2. Rinse and cut peppers into rings and set aside.
3. Add Miracle Whip, mayonnaise, and taco seasonings to a small bowl. Whisk until well incorporated.
4. Open, rinse and drain the corn, beans, and green chilies.
5. Add pasta into a large bowl and chill in the fridge. Once pasta is completely chilled, remove from the fridge.
6. Add corn, beans, green chilies, and peppers on top of the cooked and chilled mini penne pasta. Add in the tuna and Miracle Whip/mayo mixture and toss all the ingredients until well incorporated.

Looking for other tasty pasta salad recipes?

I’ve been whipping up a lot of pasta salad recipes lately. They’re quick meals, easy for dinner or lunches, and even snacking. Looking for other pasta salad recipes with protein I have one with shrimp and one with chicken.

My orzo pasta salad and bow tie pasta salad are fun twists on regular pasta shapes. This greek style pasta salad is yummy and unique, if a creamy style pasta salad is more your speed I’ve got that too. Another creamy style option is this copycat Ruby Tuesday pasta salad!

One of our favorite’s is this bacon ranch pasta salad. Tortellini pasta salad is another family favorite. When I’m heading to a party or event I make pesto pasta salad, it’s delicious and everyone always asks for the recipe!