This macaroni salad with elbow pasta and canned tuna is made with flaked tuna, sweet peas, small-diced carrots, onion, and fresh tomatoes tossed in a creamy mayo and lemon dressing.

It’s cheap, filling, and tastes even better after a night in the fridge.

It’s my go-to for meal prep lunches, potlucks, and summer picnics when I don’t want to turn the oven on. I pack it with crackers or next to one of these toasted bagel sandwiches for a quick lunch.

If you’re into easy tuna lunches and make-ahead pasta salads, these are worth bookmarking too:

Macaroni Salad with Elbow Pasta and Canned Tuna

Ingredients You’ll Need

Tuna packed in oil gives a richer, softer salad, while water-packed is leaner and a little drier.

Cut the carrots, onion, and tomatoes into small cubes about the size of a pea so every bite gets a bit of everything.

Ingredients

8 oz (225 g) elbow macaroni
2 cans (5 oz each) tuna, drained and flaked
1 cup frozen peas
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into small cubes
1/2 small yellow onion, cut into small cubes
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and cut into small cubes
3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or dill (optional)

Directions

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook the elbow macaroni for 1 minute longer than the package says.
Pasta firms up once it’s chilled, and slightly soft macaroni stays tender in the fridge instead of turning chalky.
Stir it in the first minute so the elbows don’t clump together.
Use about 1 tablespoon of salt per 4 quarts of water, since this is your only chance to season the pasta itself.
Add the small-cubed carrots to the pasta water for the last 3 minutes of cooking, then add the frozen peas for the final 1 minute.
This softens the carrots just enough without making them mushy.
It also saves you a second pot.
Drain everything into a colander and rinse under cold running water until the pasta is cool to the touch.
Shake the colander hard to get rid of as much water as possible.
Leftover water dilutes the dressing and makes the salad soupy by the next day.
While the pasta cools, scoop the seeds out of the tomatoes and cut the flesh into small cubes.
Seeding is worth the extra minute because the watery centers will thin out the dressing.
Dice the onion into the same small cubes, and if raw onion is too sharp for you, soak it in cold water for 5 minutes then drain.
In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper.
Taste the dressing on its own.
It should taste a little too salty and tangy, because the pasta will mute it.
If you like a sweeter, deli-style macaroni salad, whisk in 1 teaspoon of sugar or a splash of pickle juice here.
Drain the tuna well and break it into flakes with a fork.
Add the macaroni, carrots, peas, onion, and tuna to the dressing and fold gently with a spatula.
Fold in the tomatoes last so they don’t get crushed into the mayo.
Leave some tuna in larger flakes rather than mashing it smooth, because those bigger pieces give the salad more texture.
Cover and chill for at least 1 hour before serving so the pasta soaks up the dressing.
It will look like it’s drying out after a few hours (that’s normal).
Stir in a spoonful of mayo or a splash of milk right before serving to loosen it back up.
Sprinkle with parsley or dill, serve cold, and enjoy!

Important Recipe Notes

Overcook the pasta slightly. It sounds wrong, but cold pasta tightens up. One extra minute keeps the elbows tender after a day in the fridge.
Seed the tomatoes. Tomato juice is the main reason tuna macaroni salad gets watery. If you’re making this more than a day ahead, add the tomatoes just before serving.
Drain the tuna really well. Press it in the can with the lid or a fork. Extra liquid makes the salad taste fishy and loose.
Season boldly. Cold food needs more salt than hot food. Taste again after chilling and adjust with a pinch of salt or a squeeze of lemon.
Keep the cubes small. Small, even cubes of carrot, onion, and tomato blend into the pasta instead of rolling to the bottom of the bowl. It’s a bit more knife work, honestly, but it’s what makes this salad feel finished.

Make it a day ahead. This is one of those salads that gets better overnight, since the pasta and vegetables soak up the dressing. Just hold back the tomatoes and a little dressing, and stir both in before serving.
Choose the right tuna. Solid white albacore holds its shape in chunks, while chunk light is softer and milder. Both work, so pick based on whether you like bigger bites of tuna or a more blended salad.
Storage. Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Don’t leave it out for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour on a hot day, since it’s a mayo-based salad.
Don’t freeze it. Mayonnaise separates and the vegetables turn mushy when thawed. This one is fridge-only.

How to Serve, Store & Customize This Recipe

Serving:

Serve this tuna macaroni salad cold, straight from the fridge, on a bed of lettuce or in a bowl with crackers on the side.

It’s also good scooped into lettuce cups or stuffed into a halved avocado. At a cookout, set it next to burgers or grilled chicken as a side.

Storage:

Store it covered in the fridge in a glass or plastic container with a tight lid for up to 3 days.

The pasta absorbs dressing as it sits, so it’ll be thicker on day two. A tablespoon of mayo or milk stirred in brings it right back.

Customization:

Swap the tuna for canned salmon or shredded rotisserie chicken. Add chopped celery or pickles for crunch, or a pinch of paprika and a few drops of hot sauce in the dressing.

For a lighter version, use half Greek yogurt and half mayo.