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You are here: Home / Pasta / Easy Tuna Macaroni Salad

Easy Tuna Macaroni Salad

June 22, 2023 By Dawn 13 Comments

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Easy tuna macaroni salad is perfect to have as a side dish or eat for lunch with a green salad, raw vegetables, or fruit.

Overlooking a bowl of macaroni and tuna salad.

Easy tuna macaroni salad is a snap with only a few ingredients. Cold macaroni salads are always a must to serve during the hot summer days, but I love eating them in the winter too.

This macaroni salad is simple to make and takes little time to throw together. The recipe has simple ingredients that make this dish tasty and filling.

A side angle view of a bowl of macaroni salad.

Helpful Tips:

  • Use the cooking directions on the package of elbow macaroni, but test for doneness as it cooks, so as not to overcook or undercook it.
  • Drain the noodles well, you don’t want water in the salad.
  • Cool the macaroni before adding the salad dressing.
  • I love using salad dressing (Miracle Whip), but you can substitute mayonnaise for it. If using mayonnaise keep in mind that the flavor will not be the same. Also, if using mayonnaise add a little sugar and vinegar to add a little tang that the salad dressing adds.
  • Do not leave out the dill in this recipe, it gives great flavor. If you don’t have fresh dill, don’t worry you can use dried dill in its place. If you are using dried dill you will want to use about 1/4 teaspoon or to taste.
  • It is best to make the salad the day before you are going to serve it to let the flavors
  • Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Steps for making easy tuna macaroni salad

Step one

Cook the noodles using the direction on the package. Drain the noodles once they are cooked.

Elbow macaroni in a large saucepan.
Noodles draining in a colander.

Step two

Chop the vegetables and measure the other ingredients.

Ingredients for elbow macaroni salad.
Celery, onion, tuna, dill, pickle relish, and macaroni in a large bowl.

Step three

Add the ingredients to a large bowl and mix together.

Pepper and salt are added to the salad.
A large bowl of tuna macaroni salad

Step four

Add salt and pepper to taste and mix in.

Check out these other pasta dishes:

  • Skillet Mac And Cheese
  • Chicken Flavored Egg Noodles With Butter and Garlic
  • Orzo Pasta Salad
  • Cherry Tomato Basil Angel Hair Pasta

If you make this easy tuna macaroni salad, I would love to hear about them! Please leave me a comment and a rating.

Overlooking a bowl of macaroni and tuna salad.

Easy Tuna Macaroni Salad

Easy tuna macaroni salad is perfect to have as a side dish or have it for lunch with a green salad, raw vegetables, or with fruit.
5 from 4 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: easy tuna macaroni salad, tuna macaroni salad
Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 9 minutes minutes
Total Time: 29 minutes minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 389kcal
Author: Dawn

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces uncooked macaroni
  • 8 ounces tuna in water
  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
  • 1 teaspoon dill
  • 2 tablespoons dill pickle relish
  • 1 1/4 cup salad dressing Like Miracle Whip
  • 1 stalk celery
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Cook the macaroni according to the directions on the box. Once the macaroni is cooked run under cold water and drain.
  • While the pasta is cooking drain the tuna and chop the dill and the vegetables.
  • Combine all of the ingredients and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 
  • Chill until the salad is cold, but for best results make it the day before you will serve it.

Notes

  1. Use the direction on the package for cooking the noodles. Test the noodles as they cook so they do not overcook.
  2. Drain the noodles completely before adding them to the salad.
  3. Cool the noodles before adding the other ingredients. 
  4. Make the salad the day before so that the flavors have time to meld.
  5. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
 
 
Nutrition information is an estimate and may vary with brands of ingredients used.

Nutrition

Calories: 389kcal | Carbohydrates: 42.3g | Protein: 14.4g | Fat: 18.1g | Saturated Fat: 2.8g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 413mg | Potassium: 200mg | Fiber: 1.5g | Sugar: 5.8g | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 2mg

This recipe was originally published on July 17, 2017. It has been updated with new content and pictures on June 22, 2023.

Filed Under: Pasta

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. cheri

    July 17, 2017 at 8:12 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Dawn, sounds like a wonderful treasured time with your father-in-law. Love this tuna macaroni salad, perfect for this hot summer days.

    Reply
  2. Angie@Angie's Recipes

    July 18, 2017 at 1:01 am

    This looks like a crowd pleaser, Dawn. I would love some for my lunch.

    Reply
  3. David @ Spiced

    July 18, 2017 at 7:32 am

    I totally agree with you here, Dawn! I love a good mac salad, and it’s a requirement to make at least once (if not more) each summer. It really is the perfect side dish. Thanks so much for sharing this one!

    Reply
  4. Pam

    July 18, 2017 at 9:19 am

    Oh, sounds like a great visit with your FIL! I used to love it when our parents visited, and always hated to see them leave.
    Your macaroni salad sounds delicious, and I know it is, because that’s exactly the way I make it, which I learned from my MIL many years ago!

    Reply
  5. Juliana

    July 18, 2017 at 1:02 pm

    Thanks for sharing this simple macaroni tuna salad…this is sure great for the hot days…and you are right it can be serve as a main dish with a side of green.
    Have a wonderful week ahead Dawn 🙂

    Reply
  6. John/Kitchen Riffs

    July 18, 2017 at 6:50 pm

    Love this dish! It’s summer to me. And you gotta add that pickle relish — makes a big difference. This looks great — thanks.

    Reply
  7. Reeni

    July 18, 2017 at 8:30 pm

    This is a big favorite in my house! Every few weeks we make up a big bowl – we can never wait until the next day though – we’re all so crazy about it we dig right in. 🙂

    Reply
  8. Gloria Roa Baker

    July 18, 2017 at 9:35 pm

    5 stars
    Look delicious Dawn !!

    Reply
  9. Jeff

    July 23, 2017 at 9:53 pm

    I think I haven’t had tuna noodle salad since Iwas a kid! I think I’m overdue!

    Reply
  10. Rosa

    June 17, 2020 at 3:55 pm

    5 stars
    Perfect! Just like Mom’s!
    I added a couple of teaspoons of mustard after kid taste testing because my kids demanded more tang.
    I also used red onion because it is what I had on hand.
    Thank you for sharing this!

    Reply
    • Dawn

      June 17, 2020 at 5:30 pm

      Thank you Rosa!! I am happy that you enjoyed the tuna salad. I bet the mustard was a great addition.

      Reply
  11. Wendy

    July 17, 2023 at 5:24 pm

    5 stars
    It was so easy even I could make it. I used wheat noodles that wete let over from last night.. That worked well. I didn’t have any dill except pickles so I added a little bit of juice. It was delicious.

    Reply
    • Dawn

      July 17, 2023 at 6:16 pm

      Hi Wendy, I am so glad that you like this dish. I love the combination of pickles and tuna, so adding a bit of the juice was a great substitute. Thank you for stopping by my blog!!

      Reply

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Dawn

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My name is Dawn! I am a wife, mom, grandma and the blogger behind Words of Deliciousness! I love sharing my favorite recipes and I hope some of these become your favorites too.
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Updated on June 22, 2023