This mayo-free tuna pasta salad is the answer if you’re not a mayonnaise fan and love a cold tuna pasta salad for lunch on a hot summer day.
Tuna pasta salad without mayonnaise
This healthy tuna salad is more of a green salad than pasta salad in that you only use one cup of pasta but two cups of arugula. It contains almost 25 grams of protein, making it great for a light lunch. Delicious, filling, and perfect for lunch – it’s adult tuna salad! Some more canned tuna salad recipes you might like include chickpea tuna salad, Italian tuna and brown rice salad (Riso e Tonno), and canned tuna ceviche.
Don’t like mayonnaise? Then you will love this simple tuna and macaroni salad made from canned tuna, rocket, capers and pasta with grated Parmigiano Reggiano, olive oil and vinegar.
This is one of my favorite ways to have canned tuna for lunch. This salad is ready in a few minutes – simply mix the ingredients and top with grated Parmesan. It’s a great way to make canned tuna a little fancier, but it also works with canned salmon or crab meat.
Tuna Salad Meal Prep
If you want to make this salad, combine all the ingredients except the arugula and place them in individual containers. Add the rocket just before eating. Without the mixed in vegetables, this dish will keep in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days.
Variations:
- Swap the rocket for baby spinach.
- If you don’t have elbow macaroni, any short pasta like rotini, farfalle, or cavatappi will work.
- Add fresh cherry tomatoes, avocados, or red onions for extra vegetables.
- Swap the tinned tuna for canned crab meat or salmon.
- If you’re not a seafood fanatic, consider using the tuna for grilled or fried chicken.
OTHER RECIPES WITH TUNA SALAD:
Tuna Pasta Salad
Preparation time: 10 Minutes
Cooking time: 0 Minutes
Total time: 10 Minutes
This mayo-free tuna pasta salad is the answer if you’re not a mayonnaise fan and love a cold tuna pasta salad for lunch on a hot summer day.
- 5 ounce Canned white tuna, drained
- 1 tablespoon Capers, drained
- 1 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Red wine vinegar
- 2 cups arugula
- 1 Cup cooked wheat noodles, made from 2 oz dry (or GF pasta)
- fresh black pepper
- 1/2 ounce freshly grated parmesan
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Mix the tuna with capers, oil, vinegar, rocket, pasta and pepper in a large bowl.
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Divide between two plates and sprinkle with grated parmesan.
Portion: 1/ 2 of the recipe, Calories: 271.5kcal, Carbohydrates: 23G, Protein: 24.5G, Fat: 10.5G, Saturated fatty acids: 12thG, Cholesterol: 37mg, Sodium: 463mg, Fiber: 3.5G, Sugar: 1.5G
Blue Smart Points: 6th
Green smart points: 6th
Purple Smart Points: 6th
Points +: 7th
Keywords: cold tuna macaroni salad, healthy tuna noodle salad, how to make tuna macaroni salad, tuna macaroni salad