Tuna Macaroni Salad

Our Tuna Macaroni Salad recipe is made with canned albacore tuna, cheddar cheese, celery, green onion, red pepper and dill pickle relish all tossed in a creamy mayo based dressing. This macaroni salad with tuna has a delicious combination of flavors and textures. salad is always popular at potlucks and cookouts.

Macaroni salad is a classic staple at potlucks and cookouts. It’s easy to make, travels well and it’s always popular. This is also a great salad to make ahead for busy weekday lunches. 

Why You Will Love This Salad

• Great For Sharing. What is a potluck or cookout without a macaroni salad. It’s a great summer salad that’s always a crowd-pleaser at cookouts, potlucks and game days. 
• Easy To Make Ahead.  This salad comes together in about 30 minutes with a few basic ingredients. You’ll want to chill it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.
• Flavor. This tuna macaroni salad has a really great mix of flavors and textures.

Tuna Macaroni Salad Recipe Ingredients

• Macaroni. We use large macaroni pasta. 
• Tuna. We us canned tuna packed in water (drained) for this salad. 
• Cheddar Cheese. We use sharp cheddar cut into small cubes similar in size as the ditalini.
• Celery. Celery adds flavor and crunch to the mix.
• Green Onion. We like using green onion the best for this salad. It has a more mild flavor. 
• Red Pepper. Cut away the core and seeds of the red pepper before dicing it.
• Relish. Just a little dill pickle relish adds a classic flavor.
• Mayonnaise. For the dressing, use a good mayo like Duke’s (which our preferred mayo for this salad), Best Foods or Hellmann’s.
• Sour Cream. We use full fat sour cream to mix with the mayo for the dressing.
• Seasoning. We season the dressing with a little onion powder, garlic powder, celery salt, salt and black pepper. 

Find printable recipe with the measurements below.

How to Make Tuna Macaroni Salad

1. Cook Macaroni. Cook macaroni according to the directions on the package. You want the pasta to be al dente (soft but firm enough to still hold shape). Drain the macaroni in a colander and transfer to a bowl. Toss with 2-3 teaspoons olive oil to keep the noodles from clumping together. Place plastic wrap over the bowl and refrigerate to chill the macaroni.
2. Make The Dressing. Whisk together the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl and refrigerate until you’re ready to toss and serve the salad. 
3. Mix ingredients. Place the tuna in a large bowl and break it up with a fork. Add the celery, onion, red pepper, relish and cheese to the bowl and toss.  Add the chilled macaroni noodles and toss. Pour the salad dressing over the ingredients and gently toss to coat the ingredients evenly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Tips For Making The Best Macaroni Salad

• Store the salad and dressing separately in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve. 
• Don’t overcook the noodles. Al dente is best.
• Adjust the dressing by adding more mayo or sour cream to achieve desired taste and consistency. 
• Chill the noodles completely before adding the dressing or you may end up with an oily macaroni salad, rather than a creamy one.
• Add more tuna if you want more protein in the salad.
• Chill the salad up to 1 hour before adding the dressing to serve. This salad is best nice and chilled.

Storing Leftovers

Store leftover salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If properly stored, it should last 3 days. Stir in a little more mayo or sour cream if the noodles become a little dry.

More Pasta Salad Recipes

• Creamy Macaroni Salad
• Rotini Pasta Salad
• Italian Pasta Salad
• Summer Pasta Salad
• Tortellini Pasta Salad

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Yield: 8 servings

Tuna Macaroni Salad

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Our Tuna Macaroni Salad recipe is made with canned albacore tuna, cheddar cheese, celery, green onion, red pepper and dill pickle relish all tossed in a creamy mayo based dressing. This macaroni salad with tuna has a delicious combination of flavors and textures. salad is always popular at potlucks and cookouts.

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked elbow macaroni
• 1-2 teaspoons olive oil
• 3 cans solid albacore tuna, drained
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes
• 3/4 cup celery, diced
• 1/2 cup green onion, sliced
• 1/2 cup red pepper, diced
• 3-4 tablespoons dill pickle relish

For the Dressing

Toggle ingredient group

• 1 cup real mayonnaise (Dukes is our preference, Best Foods or Hellmann's)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

1. To prepare the dressing, in a bowl whisk together the ingredients for the dressing (the mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and black pepper). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate to chill while you prepare the salad.
2. Prepare the macaroni pasta according to the instructions on the package. You'll need about 1/2 of a 1 pound box. Drain the macaroni in a colander and rinse immediately under cold water. Drizzle 1-2 teaspoons olive oil and toss. This will keep the noodles from sticking together.
3. Dice the celery and red pepper. Slice the green onion. 
4. Add the tuna in a large bowl and break it up with a fork. Add the celery, green onion, red pepper, relish and cheese to the bowl and toss.  Add the chilled macaroni noodles and toss again. Pour the salad dressing over the ingredients and gently toss to coat the ingredients evenly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour before serving so the salad is nice and chilled.

Notes

Tips For Making The Best Macaroni Salad

• Store the salad and dressing separately in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve. 
• Don’t overcook the noodles. Al dente is best.
• Adjust the dressing by adding more mayo or sour cream to achieve desired taste and consistency. 
• Chill the noodles completely before adding the dressing or you may end up with an oily macaroni salad, rather than a creamy one.
• Add more tuna if you want more protein in the salad.
• Chill the salad up to 1 hour before adding the dressing to serve. This salad is best nice and chilled.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 717Total Fat: 39gSaturated Fat: 11gUnsaturated Fat: 28gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 698mgCarbohydrates: 75gFiber: 11gSugar: 6gProtein: 25g

theharvestkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate information, however, this nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. The nutritional information provided comes from online sources and calculations. See full disclaimer on About page.