Zesty Italian Pasta Salad with Tuna

When the weather heats up, this Italian Tuna Pasta Salad is my go-to for quick, refreshing meals. Packed with juicy tomatoes, crisp veggies, tender pasta, and flaky tuna in a zesty vinaigrette, it’s hearty, vibrant, and completely mayo-free. Perfect for summer gatherings, meal prep, or a satisfying lunch at home

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This recipe was originally published on July 14, 2020. It was updated on May 10, 2021.

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Satisfy your whole crew with a recipe that's easy to make but big on flavor with this Zesty ItalianPasta Salad with Tuna. Don't be intimidated by the homemade dressing-- it really isn't that hard! Just measure out and whisk up your dressing ingredients and you're good to go.

Next, you'll mix in your pasta, veggies, and tuna, and dinner will be on the table! This salad is perfect for potlucks, barbecues, summer lunches, and makes delicious leftovers for meal prep!

This recipe is...

• Light
• Satisfying
• Zesty
• Crunchy
• Chewy
• Savory

This is my best Italian pasta salad recipe: it's just like a traditional Italian pasta salad, but with tuna added! It has flavor and crunch and the savory Italian dressing you love and some extra protein to add flavor and fill you up.

Recipe ingredients

This pasta salad is made with ingredients that are pretty easy to find year round in most major grocery store chains!

• Pasta
• Canned tuna
• Olive oil
• Distilled white vinegar
• Dried basil and thyme
• Garlic
• Sweet onion
• Cucumber
• Sweet pepper
• Baby tomatoes
• Shredded mozzarella cheese
• Grated Parmesan cheese

Ingredient substitutions:

• Vinegar - don't have distilled white vinegar? You can also use white wine vinegar in its place.
• Oil - avocado oil will also work in place of the olive oil
• Sugar - this recipe has just a wee bit of sugar, but if you'd rather use a natural sweetener you can substitute honey. It will affect the flavor just a bit, but the overall experience should be pretty close to the same. 🙂
• Herbs - you can substitute in fresh herbs in place of the dried if you have them on hand. Just use 3 times the amount of fresh ingredients as you would dry.
• Tuna - flaked canned chicken or small cooked shrimp can substitute well for the tuna

How to make this Italian tuna pasta salad with no mayo...

1. Boil the pasta according to the package directions. Drain the pasta in a colander, rinse briefly with cool water, and let the pasta rest for 5 minutes.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients.
3. Gently stir the pasta, vegetables, tuna, and shredded cheese into the dressing until the vegetables and pasta are evenly covered with the dressing.
4. Let the salad cool for 1-2 hours covered in the fridge or serve right away. Enjoy!

Recipe pro-tips:

1. Boil the pasta in heavily salted water - Salting the water that you boil the pasta in will give you the best-tasting pasta. To salt the water for the best flavor, add 1.5-2 tablespoons of salt for every 2 quarts of water you boil.
2. Left the salad rest before serving - let the salad rest for at least a few hours before serving. This will let the pasta marinate in the flavors of the dressing, making the dish the most flavorful.
3. Use your favorite pasta shape - many types of pasta (macaroni, rotini, orecchiette, bow-ties, etc.) work great in this recipe so just use your favorite shape.

Recipe FAQs:

Storage directions:

You can store this leftover Italian pasta tuna salad covered in the refrigerator. It will last 4-5 days, though is best if eaten within the first 2-3 days.

Dietary adaptations:

• Gluten-free: to make this pasta salad gluten-free, just substitute in gluten-free pasta in the place of traditional wheat pasta
• Vegetarian: to make this recipe vegetarian, simply omit the tuna from the recipe.

Cold tuna pasta salad serving suggestions:

This healthy salad is delicious served on its own, but it's also super tasty served the following ways

• On a bed of fresh greens or lettuce
• Alongside burgers
• With grilled chicken or salmon
• With grilled veggie skewers
• With a glass of Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc

Yum!!

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Tools you need to make this salad:

• Dutch oven
• Colander
• Large mixing bowl
• Whisk
• Cutting board
• Chef's knife
• Silicone Spatula

More Pasta Salad Recipes

• Tuna Macaroni Salad
• Balsamic Pasta Salad
• Greek Penne Pasta Salad

More Tuna Recipes

• Cheesy Tuna Rice Casserole
• Instant Pot Tuna Casserole
• Tuna Mac and Cheese
• Tuna Stuffed Peppers (Keto + Low-Carb!)

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4.45 from 9 votes

Zesty Italian Pasta Salad with Tuna

Chelsea Plummer | Mae's Menu

Satisfy your whole crew with this Italian Tuna Pasta Salad.

It's easy to make but big on flavor. Don't be intimidated by the homemade dressing-- it really isn't that hard! Just measure out and whisk up your dressing ingredients and you're good to mix in the pasta, veggies, and tuna!

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Salad

Cuisine Italian

Servings 12 servings

Calories 261 kcal

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Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 16 oz. medium-sized pasta bow tie, rotini, macaroni, medium shells, etc.
• ⅔ cup olive oil
• ⅓ cup distilled white vinegar
• 1 ½ tablespoon granulated white sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 ½ teaspoon dried basil
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
• ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
• ½ large sweet onion white or red, diced
• 2 cups diced cucumber
• 1 ¾ cups halved cherry tomatoes
• 1 sweet pepper diced
• 1 cup black olives halved
• 2, 7- ounce cans tuna preferably albacore, drained & flaked
• 1 ½ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Instructions

 

• Bring a large dutch oven full of heavily salted water to boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions. Drain in a colander, rinse briefly with cold water, and then let the pasta rest for 5 minutes.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, sugar, salt, garlic, basil, thyme, cheese, and black pepper until well combined.
• Gently stir the pasta, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, peppers, black olives, tuna, and mozzarella cheese into the dressing until all the pasta and vegetables are covered in the dressing.
• Stir the pasta salad right away or cover the mixing bowl and let the salad cool in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours before serving. Enjoy!

Notes

1. Leftover pasta salad lasts covered in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. It does not freeze well.

2. This recipe can easily be halved, doubled or tripled -- just divide or multiply all the ingredients by the desired amount and follow the directions as listed.

3. White wine vinegar also works in place of the distilled white vinegar.

4. If you don't like cucumber seeds, just de-seed the cucumbers before dicing. Slice the cucumber down the center length-wise and then scrape the seeds out with a spoon.

5. To make this salad gluten-free, just use a gluten-free pasta!

6. If using a premade dressing for this recipe, use 1 heaping cup.

7. If using fresh thyme or basil in place of dry, use 4 ½ teaspoons chopped fresh basil and 1 ½ teaspoons fresh thyme.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 261kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 10gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 558mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4g

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