This Tuna Macaroni Salad is a budget-friendly and straightforward meal option that is ready in only 40 minutes. Easily made and with ingredients you may already have, it’s a great recipe choice for beginner cooks. Meal prep it for workday lunches, make it for weeknight dinners, or bring it to a potluck as a dish-to-pass.
If you like this German Potato Salad, Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad, and this Tuna Egg Salad, this salad will fit perfectly into your meal rotation.
This one is a great choice for anyone looking to whip up a meal without spending a lot of time cooking. You’ll cook some elbow macaroni, mix it with ingredients like canned tuna, hard-boiled eggs, mayonnaise, sweet relish, and mustard.
You can customize it a bit by using different types of mustard or swapping out some of the mayo for Greek yogurt or sour cream.
Make it shortly before you need to serve it, or meal prep for lunch or dinner tomorrow.
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💛 Why you’ll love this recipe
- Simple and quick to make.
- Ready in 40 minutes (with only 10 minutes of prep time and 10 minutes of cooking time).
- Uses affordable, easy-to-find ingredients.
- Flexible — allows for various ingredient swaps.
➡️ Ingredients
Recipe Tip: You can purchase store-bought hard-boiled eggs from most grocery stores.
⏲ How to make this tuna macaroni salad recipe
This is an overview of the recipe’s instructions. The full instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Cook Macaroni: In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the macaroni according to package instructions until al dente (this typically takes about 8-10 minutes). Once cooked, transfer the macaroni to a colander to drain, then rinse under cold water to cool it down quickly.
- Mix Salad Ingredients: Then, to a large mixing bowl, add drained and flaked tuna, hard-boiled eggs, mayo, celery, red onion, sweet pickle relish, mustard, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Mix until combined.
- Combine Macaroni and Tuna Mixture: Add the cooled macaroni to the tuna mixture and mix again.
- Chill: Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and chill the salad in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.
- Serve: Before serving, give the salad a final stir, taste, and add more salt and pepper as needed. Optionally, garnish with chopped fresh parsley, pepper, and paprika, then serve.
✨ Variations
- Pickles: Add chopped dill pickles or pickle slices for a more tangy flavor.
- Peas: Stir in steamed or boiled frozen peas.
- Crunchy Texture: Include diced apples, chopped walnuts, or chopped red bell pepper for extra flavor and texture.
- Mediterranean: Add olives, feta, and a sprinkle of oregano.
〰️ How to serve
- Vegetables — Baked sliced zucchini or baked jicama fries.
- Bread — Crusty rolls, buttered toast, or a slice of multigrain bread.
- Soup — Wild rice mushroom soup, chicken tortellini soup, or white bean soup.
💬 FAQs
How can I prep this advance to serve later?
Yes, prepare the salad as instructed except for garnishes, cover with a lid or foil, and store in the fridge. Add garnishes right before serving.
How do you store leftovers?
Keep any leftover salad in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
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Tuna Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- 16 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni noodles
- 3 5-ounce cans tuna, drained and flaked
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and smashed with a fork
- 1 cup mayonnaise (or a combination of mayo, Greek yogurt, and/or sour cream)
- 1 cup finely chopped celery
- ¼ cup finely chopped red onion
- 3 Tablespoons sweet pickle relish
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard, yellow mustard, or stone-ground mustard
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Optional Garnishes:
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- Freshly-cracked black pepper
- Paprika
Instructions
- Cook Macaroni: In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook macaroni according to package instructions until al dente (this typically takes about 8-10 minutes). Once cooked, transfer macaroni to a colander to drain, then rinse under cold water to cool it down quickly.
- Mix Salad Ingredients: To a large mixing bowl, add drained and flaked tuna, hard-boiled eggs, mayo, celery, red onion, sweet pickle relish, mustard, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Mix until combined.
- Combine Macaroni and Tuna Mixture: Add cooled macaroni to the tuna mixture and mix again.
- Chill: Cover bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and chill salad in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.
- Serve: Before serving, give salad a final stir, taste, and add more salt and pepper as needed. Optionally, garnish with chopped fresh parsley, pepper, and paprika, then serve.
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