Tuna & Dill Pasta Salad

 

 

We are into the very hot days of summer now. What they call the "Dog Days of Summer." These are the days when we try very hard not to have to put on the oven if we can help it.  This is the time of year when we tend to eat a lot of cold food, or cook in the air fryer or slow cooker.

Today I am sharing  a really delicious Tuna & Dill Pasta Salad recipe with you. It makes for a great side dish as a part of a salad/cold plate supper, or a lovely light lunch.

Its also great for picnics and for taking in the lunch box so long as you can keep it chilled.  Because there is mayonnaise in the dressing, you will want to keep it cold.  It is also really delicious on the buffet table.

It is a simple and very uncomplicated recipe and uses ingredients that most of us have in the cupboard at all times.  Water packed solid white tuna.  Frozen peas. Pasta. Mayonnaise.  Onion and dried dillweed. There are also dill pickles for crunch and added flavor!  I do so love dill pickles.

This is a recipe that has been tested and tweaked to perfection. It is simple and easy to make. It always goes down a real treat with whoever I feed it to.

Not a fan of tuna?  You can also use tinned salmon,  or even chicken in it's place. All would work very well with the other flavors.

Not a fan of dill?  Use cucumber or celery. You can leave out the dillweed and add parsley or some other herb that you do enjoy.  You really can make this your own.

If I was using chicken for instance, I would add some chopped toasted walnuts, celery and chopped apple.  The important thing is to use what you have, what you like and what works well together.

 

WHAT YOU NEED

TO MAKE TUNA AND DILL 

PASTA SALAD

Just a few store cupboard ingredients. This is really a very simple dish to put together using simple ingredients.

• 8 ounces (227g/scant 2 cups) bow tie pasta
• 1/2 cup (75g) frozen peas
• 1/2 small red onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 medium sized dill pickles diced
• one (5 ounce/142g) tin of solid white tuna, drained and flaked
• 1 TBS lemon juice
• 1/2 cup (110g) real mayonnaise
• 1/2 TBS dried dill
• salt and black pepper to taste

 

You do not have to use bow tie pasta. Any pasta shape will work. You want one that will hug the dressing and other ingredients and in the same amount/weight as the bow tie pasta.

I used frozen organic baby peas. You could also use corn, or corn instead of the peas. It is your choice.

You can add more onion if you wish, or use white onion in the place of the red onion. I found the amount used for this as stated to be just the right amount for me.

The dill pickles add a nice crunch and depth of flavor. If you don't want to use them you can use chopped celery or cucumber in it's place to give you the same amount of crunch.

You can use fresh dillweed instead of the dried. Just double the amount required to get the same amount of flavor.

 

HOW TO MAKE 

TUNA AND DILL PASTA SALAD

This is not very difficult to make and can be made in advance.

1. Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, according to the package directions and adding the frozen peas during the last 30 seconds.
2. Drain well and run under cold water. Drain well again. Pop into a bowl.
3. Add the flaked tuna, chopped pickles. and onion. Mix together to combine.
4. Whisk the mayonnaise together with the lemon juice, and dried dill. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Pour over the tuna mixture and gently stir together to combine and coat everything in the dressing.
5. Taste and adjust seasoning as required.
6. Serve immediately, or cover and chill until you are ready to serve.

 

HOW TO STORE

TUNA AND DILL PASTA SALAD

Keep the salad stored in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for up to three days. It actually tastes better the longer it sits. You may need to stir a tiny bit more mayonnaise in it when you do go to serve it as the pasta will absorb some of the dressing.

CAN I MAKE THIS SALAD 

AHEAD OF TIME?

Absolutely. This salad can easily be made a day ahead of time and will actually improve in flavor. Just be prepared to stir some additional mayonnaise into it to loosen it up a bit. Store, covered tightly,  in the refrigerator.

 

CAN I FREEZE THIS SALAD?

I do not recommend that you freeze this salad because of the mayonnaise used in the dressing. It will separate and give you an undesirable consistency.

CAN I USE FRESH DILL FOR THIS SALAD?

By all means. You can certainly use chopped fresh dill leaves for the salad. You will need roughly twice the amount as dried dill has a more pronounced flavor as the fresh. So for this recipe use 1 TBS minced fresh dill leaves.

 

A FEW OTHER

PASTA SALADS YOU MAY ENJOY 

GREEK PASTA SALAD - This delicious salad embodies all of the elements of a good Greek Salad with fresh crisp cucumbers, ripe tomatoes, red onions, kalamata olives, plenty of parsley and a delicious red wine herbed dressing.  Oh, and pasta twists, which while not exactly traditional, make this a fabulously tasty and hearty salad! Don't have pasta twists?  Use any other pasta that will work to hug all of that fabulous red wine herby dressing and hold it close!! 

MACARONI COLESLAW - A delicious mash-up of two summer classics, this Macaroni Coleslaw is loaded with plenty of texture and great flavors! Not to mention crunch!  I do love crunch in a salad, don't you?  I also love color!  This tasty combination can be as colorful as you like, depending on the coleslaw mix that you use.  

 

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Yield: 3 servings

Author: Marie Rayner

Tuna and Dill Pasta Salad

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 25 Min

This is a simple, quick and easy salad to throw together. Its also very delicious! Makes a great lunch on it's own or works well as a side dish for a salad supper.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces (227g/scant 2 cups) bow tie pasta
• 1/2 cup (75g) frozen peas
• 1/2 small red onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 medium sized dill pickles diced
• one (5 ounce/142g) tin of solid white tuna, drained and flaked
• 1 TBS lemon juice
• 1/2 cup (110g) real mayonnaise
• 1/2 TBS dried dill
• salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, according to the package directions and adding the frozen peas during the last 30 seconds.
2. Drain well and run under cold water. Drain well again. Pop into a bowl.
3. Add the flaked tuna, chopped pickles. and onion. Mix together to combine.
4. Whisk the mayonnaise together with the lemon juice, and dried dill. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Pour over the tuna mixture and gently stir together to combine and coat everything in the dressing.
5. Taste and adjust seasoning as required.
6. Serve immediately, or cover and chill until you are ready to serve.

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