Chef notes
If you bypass the goopy mayonnaise-heavy macaroni salad at cookouts and picnics, you’ll immediately fall for this mayo-free version. Instead, it opts for a light and tangy balsamic vinaigrette to elevate and brighten pasta salad. Brought to life with Mediterranean flavor like briny olives and fresh tomato, this salad is not only a vibrant side dish, but thanks to the addition of tuna, it’s also perfect for a light lunch or dinner.
This colorful pasta salad comes together in less than 30 minutes. Cook a half pound of your favorite short pasta, such as cavatappi, penne or farfalle, then combine it with flaked tuna, halved black olives and cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, chopped basil and a simple balsamic vinaigrette. For the best flavor, toss the pasta with the vinaigrette, tuna and vegetables while it’s still slightly warm. This helps the pasta absorb some of the vinaigrette as well as the flavors from the other ingredients. Go and enjoy the pasta salad while it’s still warm — or wait and serve it at room temperature.
Feel free to add more tuna for extra protein or play around to give this macaroni salad your own twist. Replace the tuna with shredded chicken or a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas or white beans. Swap the black olives with Kalamata olives or a green variety of olives like Castelvetrano — just be sure they’re pitted before using them. Or use other fresh Mediterranean-inspired herbs like parsley, mint, thyme or a combination in place of or in addition to the basil.
Get Ingredients: If you don’t have everything you need on hand, you can easily purchase all of the ingredients (just click the orange button below that says ‘Get Ingredients’). You can pick and choose exactly what ingredients you need based on what’s in your pantry and they’ll be on your doorstep before you know it.
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound short pasta, such as elbow macaroni or cavatappi
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 (5-ounce) can tuna, drained and flaked
- 1/2 cup black olives, halved
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cucumber, diced
- fresh basil, chopped
Preparation
1.Cook pasta according to package’s directions. Set aside.
2.In medium size bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.
3.Add cooked pasta, tuna, black olives, cherry tomatoes, cucumber and basil. Stir to combine.
