There is almost nothing as good as a Retro Tuna Macaroni Salad! This recipe brings back the tastes of your childhood – it’s just like Grandma used to make, with a healthy twist! ( or not, don’t worry, you can still make this the normal way!) Read on to find out!
Tuna Macaroni Salad is a Classic For a Reason!
Can I be sad that i am the only one in my family that eats tuna? Yes, it’s true! I can only make this when I have company over that over tuna macaroni salad as much as I do – that’s pretty much my other family members like my sister and my mom.
As I’m sure you know by now, I am a big fan of using whole wheat or grain-filled pasta whenever you possibly can in dishes. Sometimes you do need a glorious white pasta (decadent mac n’ cheese is a perfect example of this) but most times a dish and your health can benefit from substituting in a whole wheat or whole grain based pasta. We have been avid whole wheat/whole grain pasta lovers for over a decade now, starting our own conversion over when my 12 year-old was young. The kids now actually prefer whole grain pastas, as do Mike and I. There’s something so toothsome about them that I really enjoy.
Summer time is on the way and I’ve oddly been dreaming about making a retro tuna macaroni salad. I love an amazing picnic salad and a tuna macaroni salad has been on my to-make list for as long as I can remember. What better time to try out new Catelli Ancient Grains macaroni than with my own twist on this time-tested classic – retro tuna macaroni salad? Catelli Ancient Grains is the only 100% whole grain pasta of its kind, with a deliciously different, yet mild flavor. The five grains included in the pasta are quinoa, teff, amaranth, millet and sorghum. It’s also made with 100% all-natural, whole grain Canadian wheat, which as you can guess is very high in healthy fiber for us all! This line of pasta is only available in Western Canada right now.
What ingredients are in tuna macaroni salad?
There are a few main ingredients in a tuna macaroni salad:
- canned tuna, drained
- mayonaise
- whipped dressing ( yes, you need both for the best flavour!)
- celery
- boiled eggs
- minced green onions
- sweet green relish
- pickles ( my favourite ingredient to add!)
Now, does the sight of this bring back memories of church picnics and potlucks of your youth? Oh, it sure does for me! Tables groaning under the weight of delicious delights and there were always at least four or five different pasta salads! I would usually look for the tuna one, for even as a child I absolutely loved tuna in all forms.
Karlynn’s Tuna Salad Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Now, I do make mine a little different. I think tuna always needs some dill pickles to cut the richness of the fish itself, not to mention in a mayo-based salad you definitely need the acid in there.
- I also have another secret to this salad’s success – and this is a family trick for sure- use half mayo and half whipped salad dressing. The tuna needs the tangy dressing, absolutely. While I am usually a mayo purist, in this salad, whipped salad dressing is the only way to go. Well, at least for half of it!
- You can customize the salad any way you like, from adding olives – which is the ultimate retro tuna salad!- which also add that acidity to cut through the richness. I added a lot of green onions since I love them, around 2 stalks of celery because I wanted a lot of crunch…the possibilities are endless. Mix, match and customize until you have a salad that you love!
Happy cooking everyone!
Love you more than chocolate!
Karlynn
Retro Tuna Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- one 454 gram box elbow macaroni
- 3-4 large hard boiled eggs peeled and chopped
- 8 stalks green onions diced
- 1/3 cup celery chopped finely
- 2 dill pickles chopped finely
- two 8 ounce cans flaked tuna drained well
- ¾ cup light mayonnaise
- ¾ cup light whipped salad dressing
- 3-4 tablespoons sweet relish to taste
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the pasta, eggs, celery, pickles, green onions and tuna. Toss with a fork to combine.
- In a measuring cup, mix the mayo, whipped dressing, relish and pepper Taste and add more relish or pepper as needed.
- Pour the dressing over the macaroni and stir gently to combine.
- Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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Charlene says
What does 1 gm pasta equate to in us measure?
Jane stilgenbauer says
Always add a handful of frozen green peas, thawed in a bowl of cold tap water, only takes a few minutes – like the green olives, too.
Mark says
Hard to trust a recipe when the author can’t get the ingredients straight. “One gram box of pasta”, “2 ounce can of tuna”
Wendy Maillet says
I was able to read the recipe as 1 (340 gram) box of elbow macaroni (12 ounces) and 2 (8 ounce) cans of tuna. Computers glitch sometimes and I just adjust 🙂 hope this helps
Dineo says
I need this recipes in my email address
Amanda says
How much tuna is needed? The amount on the recipe isn’t clear.
sheri says
I believe it calls for 2 – 6 ounce cans of tuna, that is what my old recipe calls for
Suzanne Mills says
I have a question please am going to make this yummy looking tuna salad and am wonder if this is calling for 8 cans of tuna? you show 2 oz cans of tuna and at the end after well drained there is an 8 just wanted to make sure
thanks
can’t wait to try this
regards
Suzanne
Becky says
I really want to try this recipe, but can you please tell me what “whipped dressing” is? Is it Miracle Whip?
Thank you for all your delicious recipes! Can’t wait to try this one, too!
Karlynn says
It is miracle whip, the tang is better than mayo in this recipe!
G.Krompocker says
if you don’t want to use tuna, coarsely cut up some chick peas to add in place of tuna, I have done that and it is good as well 🙂
G.Krompocker says
try adding some niblet corn to this, it is so good in tuna salad; I had an english friend give me the recipe and the only thing different was adding corn and it made a big difference to the taste and texture 🙂
Miranda chamness says
I’m wondering how this would turn out using gluten free noodles. Anyone try that out?
Tanya says
Omg. Amazing. And my husband basically cleared a whole bowl before stopping. It was fantastic just as posted!
Barbara says
Hi, looks fabulous. But I too am wondering about the quantity of tuna. That line in recipe looks like it got scrambled a bit. Also 1 gm pasta does not make sense. Can you clarify? Thanks in advance!
JoAnn says
This brought back memories! Making this tomorrow. However, I’m kinda confused. When you get to the tuna, it says “2 oz cans of tuna”. Do you mean “two” 2 oz cans, or just a “2 oz can”? Please clarify.
angela hammill says
delicious just like i remember …..i add crushed regular chips on top like my grandma used to do!!! love love this recipe so much 🙂 old school is always better…..
Crystal Carlson says
Oh, my goodness! You must have grown up like I did, just 20 years later! I see so many familiar recipes on your site that I have long forgotten but should find their way back in my repetoire.
The Kitchen Magpie says
Those are the best recipes, the ones from our childhoods!
Raven Wanders says
Ooo ty now i know what Im making this weekend
Gil Livesay says
If only you had something decent to serve it from…
The Kitchen Magpie says
I know. I’d better go shopping for more Pyrex…
Jennifer Budgell says
This is a lot like the one I make, and if you want to kick it up a notch, add a sprinkle of celery seed. It gets in your teeth, but oh the celery flavour!!