Ingredients
- 5 cans (5 oz each) chunk light tuna in water, drained
- 8 oz small pasta shells, dry
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 1/2 small red onion, finely diced
- 1 cucumber, diced
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta shells about 1 minute past package directions for al dente, then drain and rinse under cold water to stop cooking.
- Drain tuna thoroughly, pressing gently in a fine strainer for 10-15 seconds to remove excess liquid.
- In a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
- Add drained tuna, cooled pasta, celery, red onion, and cucumber to the bowl. Fold gently until evenly combined, being careful not to break up the pasta or tuna too much.
- Taste and adjust salt, pepper, or lemon juice as needed.
- Divide into 5 airtight containers. Refrigerate at or below 40°F (4°C). Best within 3-5 days per USDA storage guidance.
Notes
This is the version of tuna salad I make when a plain mayo-and-celery mix feels too thin for a full lunch. Adding cooked pasta turns five cans of chunk light tuna into five genuinely filling portions, and because nothing here needs to be cooked beyond boiling the pasta, the whole batch comes together in about 20 minutes.
I use chunk light tuna rather than albacore for this one specifically — it's cheaper per can, and the milder flavor blends better with the dressing than albacore's firmer, stronger-tasting flakes. Drain every can thoroughly and press it gently in a strainer for 10-15 seconds before mixing; skipping this step is the single biggest reason tuna pasta salad turns watery by day two.
No cooking is required beyond boiling the pasta and draining the cans — everything else is chopping and stirring, which makes this one of the fastest full lunches in my rotation.
