December 5, 2025

Happily Forever Eating

Happily Forever Eating

Smoked Tuna Pasta Salad – Or No matter You Do


Our Smoked Tuna Pasta Salad makes use of our home-smoked albacore tuna loin as the bottom for a enjoyable twist on this pasta salad staple.

Smoked Tuna Pasta Salad

In case you’ve acquired a smoker and a few recent tuna, otherwise you picked up a smoked tuna loin on the retailer, that is find out how to flip it into one thing that steals the highlight at any cookout or potluck.

This dish is constructed for warm-weather gatherings. It chills fantastically, feeds a crowd, and holds its texture even after a day within the fridge.

The ditalini pasta makes for the proper chunk. Small, sturdy, and soaks up all that creamy dressing with out turning into mush.

There’s a nostalgic, old-school pasta salad vibe right here, however the smoked tuna makes it really feel recent and a little bit elevated with out being fussy.

Convey this to your subsequent BBQ, or maintain it within the fridge for straightforward lunches all through the week.

Why You’ll Love This Dish

  • Large Taste with Minimal Work – Smoked tuna provides instantaneous depth with out additional cooking!
  • Excellent Summer season Facet – Chilly, creamy, and made for BBQs or seaside days.
  • Make-Forward Pleasant – Really will get higher after chilling for a couple of hours.
  • Versatile and Forgiving – Straightforward to tweak based mostly on what you have got available!
  • Feeds a Crowd – One batch goes a great distance and holds up properly.

Smoked Tuna Pasta Salad Purchasing Listing

Questioning if you must hit the shop? Right here’s the listing of things you’ll must make this recipe. For particular quantities, please consult with the printable recipe card on the backside of the publish.

  • Smoked Tuna Loin – Brings salty, smoky taste; can sub with smoked salmon or canned smoked tuna if wanted.
  • Mayonnaise – Use a high-quality mayo for one of the best taste!
  • Yellow Mustard – Dijon works rather well should you prefer it greater than common yellow mustard.
  • Garlic Salt – You should utilize garlic powder and salt individually, if wanted.
  • Onion Powder – Provides nice taste to the sauce! Don’t skip it, even should you don’t notably like onion.
  • Contemporary Dill – Dried dill works in a pinch, however use lower than you’d of the recent.
  • Ditalini Pasta – Elbow or shells are good substitutes should you don’t have ditalini.
  • Frozen Child Peas – Don’t use canned. It’s a totally different taste than flash frozen.
  • Dill Pickles – I like a small garlic dill, lower into quarters after which chopped into small bites.
  • Pickle Juice – Brightens the dressing and ties all of it collectively!

How To Make Traeger Tuna Salad

That is simply the overview so you possibly can see what you’re really moving into right here. If you find yourself cooking, you’ll need to use the total recipe on the backside of the web page.

  1. Cube the Tuna – Minimize smoked tuna into small chunks for straightforward mixing.
  2. Make the Dressing – In a big bowl, combine mayo, mustard, garlic salt, onion powder, and recent dill.
  3. Mix Every part – Gently stir in pasta, peas, pickles, and pickle juice.
  4. Chill It – Cowl and refrigerate for not less than one hour to let flavors meld.
  5. Serve Chilly – Pair with grilled meats, sandwiches, or take pleasure in solo.

Smoked Tuna Pasta Salad FAQ

How Lengthy Will This Final within the Fridge?

You may retailer smoked tuna pasta salad in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 3 days. Stir properly earlier than serving.

Can I Make This Forward of Time?

Completely. In actual fact, this salad is best when it has time to relax. Put together it the day earlier than your occasion for optimum taste and texture.

Can I Use Canned Tuna?

Sure, however for one of the best outcomes, search for smoked canned tuna. Common canned tuna works, however gained’t have that very same depth of taste.

Can I Swap the Pasta Form?

Positively, any small pasta, corresponding to elbows, shells, or macaroni, will work. Simply keep away from massive or lengthy noodles. They don’t maintain the sauce as properly.

Is There a Good Dairy-Free Model?

Sure. Use your favourite plant-based mayo and double-check your mustard and pickles for hidden dairy. The remainder is of course dairy-free.

Serve This With…

Smoked tuna pasta salad strikes the proper stability of creamy, smoky, and tangy flavors. It’s straightforward to throw collectively, holds up properly within the fridge, and brings one thing a little bit totally different to the desk. In case you’re uninterested in the identical previous macaroni salad, give this one a shot. It’s cool, satisfying, and assured to be a success.

  • 8 ounces smoked tuna loin
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • ½ teaspoon yellow mustard
  • ½ teaspoon garlic salt
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon recent dill
  • 1 pound ditalini pasta cooked al dente, drained and rinsed in chilly water
  • 1 cup frozen child peas
  • ½ cup dill pickles diced
  • 2 tablespoons pickle juice
  • Cube the tuna into small items and mix with the mayo, mustard, garlic salt, onion powder, and dill in a big bowl. Combine till mixed.

  • Gently stir within the cooked pasta, child peas, pickles, and pickle juice. Toss properly to coat within the sauce.

  • Chill for not less than an hour, and serve along with your favourite summer season BBQ meals!

In case you don’t have entry to freshly caught albacore tuna loins to smoke your individual, there are some nice choices for canned albacore tuna on the market. I actually like FishWife’s canned albacore. It isn’t smoked, however should you throw the open can in your smoker at 200°F for quarter-hour, it’ll add simply sufficient taste!

Diet Info

Smoked Tuna Pasta Salad

Quantity per Serving

% Every day Worth*

* P.c Every day Values are based mostly on a 2000 calorie food regimen.