This Tuna Spaghetti Salad is a quick, warm weather potluck or dinner salad recipe! Make, chill, and serve. Add your own variety of herbs!

spaghetti salad with pasta

This is one of the best tuna pasta salads!  It’s a crowd-pleaser, and you can also replace the spaghtetti for your favorite pasta.
With the warmer weather here, we are eating lighter and love a good salad on a hot summer evening.

Tuna Spaghetti Salad

Its delicious, quick, with simple ingredients. With the exception of the fresh herbs, I bet you have most ingredients stocked in your pantry.

serving of Tuna Spaghetti Salad

Why we love this recipe

  • Perfect for warmer weather as it’s on the lighter side.
  • Serve as a main dish with warm crusty bread.
  • Easy ingredients – most that you have in your pantry.

ingredients for Tuna Spaghetti Salad

Our Summer Spaghetti Italian Salad is a big hit, if you like an Italian spin on a spaghetti salad. This tuna salad has a lot of nostaglia for me, since it was popular during my growing up years. I think because it was affordable, mom made it all the time.

tossing Tuna Spaghetti Salad

Ingredients for Tuna Salad

You can use either oil packed or water packed tuna, depending on what you buy.

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  • Spaghetti noodles: we use DeLallo Whole Wheat Pasta
  • Water-packed tuna: we use solid white tuna
  • Green onions
  • Roma tomatoes
  • Black olives
  • Chopped fresh basil
  • Chopped fresh parsley
  • Olive oil
  • Lemon juice
  • Garlic crushed
  • Red pepper flakes
  • Salt & pepper to taste

cooking spaghettie pasta

How do you make tuna pasta salad?

  1. Boil pasta per package instructions and cool.
  2. Mix together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Set aside.
  3. Drain tuna and black olives. Mix together in large mixing bowl.
  4. Add green onions, tomatoes, basil, parsley, spaghetti noodles (cooked and cooled) and toss together with tuna and black olives.
  5. Drizzle the dressing over the pasta mixture; lightly toss.
  6. Serve!

how to make tuna spaghetti salad

Tips and substitutions:

  • Swap out the spaghetti pasta for your favorite pasta (we love bowtie)!
  • Add green olives (or swap out the black for the green). We like both kinds of olives.
  • Capers give the salad a more tangy flavor (drain them first).
  • Herbs – herbs, herbs, herbs! Fresh herbs make this salad amazing.
  • Green onions are optional. You can also add red onions.
  • If you’re not a tuna fan, you can add chicken beef, pork, or even shrimp (or favorite seafood).

fork bite of Tuna Spaghetti Salad

Plan a summer potluck

Potlucks are the easiest for varied diets, because each person coming can take care of themselves, right?

Really, all we need to do is create space for people to get together!

Plan a potluck and ask everyone to bring their favorite summer salad – BAM! Bring the drinks, a cake, and you’ve got a potluck!

Tuna Spaghetti Salad

More potluck dishes

Cake Pan Layered Salad

Cheese Broccoli Casserole [She Wears Many Hats]

Broccoli Salad with Bacon & Cranberries [That Skinny Girl Can Bake]

Butter Leaf Lettuce Summer Salad

serving of Tuna Spaghetti Salad
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Tuna Spaghetti Salad

This Tuna Spaghetti Salad is a quick, warm weather potluck or dinner salad recipe! Make, chill, and serve. Add your own variety of herbs!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 8
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
 

  • 16 oz. spaghetti noodles, we use DeLallo Whole Wheat Pasta
  • 2 5.4 ounce cans water-packed tuna
  • 8 green onions, finely chopped
  • 4 Roma tomatoes, diced
  • 2 3.8 oz cans black olives
  • ½ cup chopped fresh basil
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

Make the dressing:

Instructions
 

  • Boil pasta per package instructions. Drain and cool.
  • Mix together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Set aside.
  • Drain tuna and black olives. Mix together in large mixing bowl.
  • Add green onions, tomatoes, basil, parsley, spaghetti noodles (cooked and cooled) and toss together with tuna and black olives.
  • Drizzle the dressing over the pasta mixture and lightly toss.
  • Serve!

Notes

Reposted from July 2017.
Cuisine: American
Course: Salad
Author: Sandy / Reluctant Entertainer
Calories: 238kcal, Carbohydrates: 46g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 0.4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 0.1mg, Sodium: 150mg, Potassium: 268mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 741IU, Vitamin C: 11mg, Calcium: 37mg, Iron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?Tag @reluctantentertainer on Instagram and hashtag it #reluctantentertainer!

tuna pasta salad