Our totally loaded macaroni tuna salad recipe is the perfect side dish for any barbecue! It’s easy to throw together with mayonnaise, dill pickles and hard boiled eggs to bring to a potluck or served year round with hamburgers.
When it warms up and becomes BBQ season I’m ready to throw together some delicious side dishes like this one. Now you can simplify it all you want but we like ours totally loaded up with ingredients like you see here because everyone says that it’s just Ahhhhhhmazing!!
The perfect cold pasta salad to serve along side hamburgers, beer can chicken or sandwiches at a barbecue during the summertime or have it for lunch too (I’ve done that). If you love tuna as much as we do you will love this recipe!
I know….I’d love a bowl right now with nothing else (and yes it has become my lunch if we ever have leftovers). Whether you make it as a side dish or a meal all in itself it’s an amazing tuna macaroni salad recipe. We have taken this to friends’ houses when we’ve been invited over for a potluck and everyone thinks it is amazing.
Honestly it is something I just came up with using ingredients I really liked and I had in my house already and it made for a great side dish for the BBQ we had today. buy a few cans and make our Crockpot tuna noodle casserole and this is how to make tuna patties the next week for dinner too.
Ingredient Notes
Pickles – you MUST add these, the secret ingredient to making it the best tuna salad (best to cut whole pickles in larger chunks than using relish) and keep some juice to use also.
- Tuna – I like in water, chunk tuna is the only way to go
- Bowtie or macaroni noodles but any shape works in small size
- Mayonnaise or you could use plain greek yogurt, I like Best Foods over Miracle Whip
- Hard boiled eggs are optional but a great add in, we love to make no peel eggs in the oven for this and dice
- Black olives is a fave of ours
- Onion can be diced small and added in there
- Celery diced gives it some nice crunch
- Bacon bits are opptional
Hawaiian Style
You can easily transition this to more of a Hawaiian macaroni salad with tuna by omitting the egg and adding some shaved carrots and it’s often dressed while the macaroni is still warm to absorb more flavor. It is wetter too so you would use 1 cup mayo with twice as much pickle juice or add 1 tbsp vinegar for more of a tang.
Tips for Success
First bring a large pot to a boil with a little salt. Cook macaroni noodles until they are al dente, not soft. You can use elbow macaroni or any other small noodles like you see here. Drain and rinse them with cold water using a colander to stop the cooking process (or they will continue to get soft) and cool down.
Use a rather large bowl to combine all of your ingredients so everything can get well coated with the mayo. I prefer and recommend that you cover the bowl with plastic wrap and cool it in the fridge for at least an hour before you serve it. This way it will get cold (rather than room temperature) and allow the flavors to deepen. Then stir once and if it is too thick, add a tbsp more mayo to loosen, then sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper just before serving for the ideal results.
It’s actually really easy to throw together and typically I have all the ingredients at home which makes it even easier. When it comes to easy side dishes I don’t want to have to go to the store. It is easy to tweak to a bit sweet with pineapple tidbits or spicy with a bit of Sriracha.
Macaroni Tuna Salad Recipe
Equipment
- 1 pot to boil noodles to al dente
- 1 Bowl
Ingredients
- 12 oz pasta, uncooked bowtie or macaroni
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise, best foods is best, full fat, use more if desired
- 8 large olives, black
- 3 large eggs, hard boiled
- 2 large dill pickles, diced
- 2 tsp pickle juice, dill
- 1 can tuna, albacore chunk is best
- 1/4 cup onion, diced
- 1/2 cup celery, diced
- 2 tbsp bacon, cooked, crumbled
Instructions
- Boil noodles and drain when they are cooked (slightly al dente).
- Run cool water over noodles to cool them down. Dice your 3 hard boiled eggs, 1-2 dill pickles, olives and flake your tuna. Add your ingredients to your noodles and gently toss.
- Add your mayonnaise and fold into tuna pasta mixture. Add 1-2 tbsp. dill pickle juice (depending on how “dilly” you want it).
- Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hrs and serve. Keeps well for a day or two after too and makes for a great lunch!!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Other side dish recipes you’ll love
Broccoli salad makes a great addition to get togethers, this bacon pasta salad is pretty amazing too. Easy Hawaii cole slaw recipe – there’s a Hawaiian version too. And you’ll love our air fryer tuna melt for lunch. For another similar, but hot dish, try our pressure cooker tuna noodle casserole
Any way you mix it up, tuna macaroni salad is a classic dish everyone loves. Everyone says it’s super delicious (even those who typically don’t care for fish)! Want it from fresh? Try our tuna steak air fryer recipe too.
