A hearty cold pasta salad with tuna and the delicious flavor of dill pickle.
This Tuna Macaroni Salad with Dill Pickles is a summery and delicious dish that is perfect for a potluck or picnic. The combination of flavors and textures is sure to please everyone! Plus, it’s easy to make and can be adapted to fit your taste buds.
If you love summer salads like this Sweet Macaroni Salad or this Creamy Grape Salad, you will truly enjoy this pasta salad with tuna. It is a pretty inexpensive dish to put together that is hearty enough to be a meal. It is made with dill pickles which really makes the flavors POP! Of course, if you prefer sweet pickles, you can also use those for a sweet & savory flavor.
Ingredient & Swaps
Tuna – I prefer chunk white albacore tuna because it is meatier and less fishy. You can use whatever variety and type you prefer.
Pasta – Macaroni elbows were what I had on-hand, but rotini, shells, or ziti would work perfectly as well.
Veggies – I love the crunch or celery in my pasta salads and always love to add a little red onion. This recipe also has some green onion and pickles.
Dressing – This salad is made creamy with a combination of mayonnaise and sour cream. You can also use non-fat, plain Greek yogurt if you’d prefer in lieu of the sour cream. A shot of pickle juice is also added to thin the dressing out and provide some acidic balance.
Pickles – I chopped up 3 large dill spears for this recipe. Two of the spear were mixed in the salad, and 1 was used to garnish the top.
Spices – Black pepper, and dry dill were the only spices I used for this salad. I think the pickles added enough salt but if you love salt, you can add a bit more.
How to Make Tuna Pasta Salad with Pickles
Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
Add pasta to a large bowl with the chopped celery, onion, drained tuna, and 2 pickles.
Stir in the mayonnaise, pickle juice, sour cream, sugar, ground black pepper, dill weed, and garlic powder.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
Top salad with additional chopped pickle, and green onion before serving.
Storing
This tuna pasta salad can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in an airtight container. It may get a bit dry but should liven up once stirred. If it needs more moisture add 1 additional tablespoon of mayo, 1 additional tablespoon of sour cream, and 1 teaspoon of dill pickle juice.
More Pasta Salad Recipes to Try Today
- Greek Pasta Salad
- Chicken Bowtie Pasta Salad
- Crab Pasta Salad
- Shrimp Pesto Pasta Salad
- Sweet Macaroni Salad
Tuna Pasta Salad with Dill Pickles
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
- wooden spoon
- cutting board & knife
- can opener
- refridgerator
Ingredients
- 12 ounces dry macaroni cooked al dente
- 3 ribs celery diced
- 3 tablespoons red onion diced
- 3 large Kosher dill pickle spears diced, reserve one for garnish
- 2 tablespoons pickle juice
- ⅓ cup mayonaisse
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dry dill weed
- 2 tablespoons green onion sliced
- 6 ounces Albacore tuna drained
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- Add pasta to a large bowl with the chopped celery, onion, drained tuna, and 2 pickles.
- Stir in the mayonnaise, pickle juice, sour cream, sugar, salt, ground black pepper, dill weed, and garlic powder.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
- Top salad with additional chopped pickle, and green onion before serving.
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