Mediterranean Tuna Pasta Salad is the perfect pasta salad packed with protein for summer. Fresh Mediterranean inspired ingredients are mixed with tuna, pasta and a light lemon dressing. This salad is finished off with loads of fresh herbs and lemon zest. Your guests will love this!
MEDITERRANEAN TUNA PASTA SALAD
Summer calls for all the pasta salads, right?
When I entertain family and friends I love making a couple of salads to go with our meal.
I am partnering with Heinen’s today to bring you this Mediterranean Tuna Pasta Salad.
The perfect summer entraining salad to serve your guests packed with all of your favorite Mediterranean ingredients.
My favorite part of this salad is the light lemony dressing with sumac that it is finished off with. If you don’t have sumac you can use whatever spice you like!
I like to keep a can of tuna in my pantry to add protein to a variety of meals.
It is a nice low calorie protein that is packed with omega-3 fatty acids.
I especially love this Mediterranean Tuna Salad, Easy Tuna Noodle Casserole, Tropical Tuna Stuffed Avocado and Italian Style Tuna Salad when I am craving tuna.
As with a lot of my salads you can modify this pasta salad to your tastes. If you don’t like kalamata olives leave them out or try green olives.
Do you want extra nutrition? Add in some greens like arugula or spinach!
WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE IN THIS MEDITERRANEAN TUNA PASTA SALAD?
- ALBACORE TUNA IN WATER
- PASTA
- TOMATOES
- CUCUMBER
- KALAMATA OLIVES
- ROASTED RED PEPPERS
- RED ONION
- FETA CHEESE
- GREEN ONIONS
- PARSLEY
- DILL
- MINT
FOR THE DRESSING:
- LEMON JUICE & ZEST
- GARLIC
- EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
- SUMAC OR ZA’ATAR {OR SPICE OF YOUR CHOICE}
HOW DO YOU MAKE A TUNA PASTA SALAD?
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package to al dente. Drain.
In a mason jar or salad dressing container mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and sumac {or spice of your choice}.
In a large mixing bowl combine the tuna, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, roasted red peppers, red and green onions.
Once pasta is done cooking let it cool.
Stir in the pasta to the salad and mix well.
Gently stir in the parsley, dill and mint and then add the feta cheese.
Drizzle the salad dressing on the tuna pasta salad {I start with half and stir to see how I like the flavor}.
Add lemon zest to the salad and serve immediately or refrigerate.
Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.
MODIFICATIONS FOR THIS TUNA PASTA SALAD
GREENS: Greens would be a nice addition to this salad. I like adding arugula, spinach or a spring mixture of lettuce.
CHEESE: I added feta cheese to this salad but you could also use goat cheese, Parmesan cheese or mozzarella.
VEGETABLES: When I make pasta salads I often open the fridge to see what I can add. Other vegetables that work nicely are carrots, radishes, celery or bell peppers.
HERBS: Fresh herbs make everything better! I load up on them when making pasta salads. Some that I love are dill, mint, basil, parsley and oregano.
DRESSING: The dressing I created is a light lemony dressing. Feel free to add your favorite spice to the salad dressing. If you have a store-bought dressing that is your favorite that works too.
IS TUNA PASTA SALAD HEALTHY FOR YOU?
Canned tuna is low in calories and high in protein.
Despite being low in fat, tuna is still considered a good source of omega-3 fatty acids
And in addition to healthy fats, canned tuna is also a great source of vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin D and selenium.
WHAT DOES THIS MEDITERRANEAN TUNA PASTA SALAD GO WITH?
This pasta salad obviously works great on its own as a meal and is packed with protein but also pairs nicely with other dishes.
Here are some of my favorites:
MEDITERRANEAN BAKED TURKEY MEATBALLS
LEBANESE LENTIL SOUP
MOROCCAN RED LENTIL SOUP
BEEF KOFTA KEBABS
GRILLED PORK CHOPS
GRILLED ZUCCHINI
Mediterranean Tuna Pasta Salad
Mediterranean Tuna Pasta Salad is the perfect pasta salad packed with protein for summer. Fresh Mediterranean inspired ingredients are mixed with tuna, pasta and a light lemon dressing. This salad is finished off with loads of fresh herbs and lemon zest. Your guests will love this!
Ingredients
- 2 - 5-ounce cans of albacore tuna, in water, drained
- 12 ounces of Heinen's Organic Artisan Pasta
- 1 pint of Tomz Snacking Tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1/2 of an english cucumber, diced
- 1/4 cup of kalamata olives, sliced in half
- 1/2 cup of roasted red peppers, chopped
- 1/4 cup of red onion, diced
- 1/2 cup of feta cheese, crumbled
- 6 green onions, white and green parts chopped
- 1/4 cup of fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 Tablespoons of fresh dill, chopped
- 1/4 cup of fresh mint, chopped
FOR THE DRESSING
- 1 lemon, juiced + zest of 1/2 of a lemon
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons of your favorite spice {I like sumac or za'atar}
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package to al dente. Drain.
- In a mason jar or salad dressing container mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and sumac {or spice of your choice}.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the tuna, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, roasted red peppers, red and green onions.
- Once pasta is done cooking let it cool. Stir in the pasta to the salad and mix well.
- Gently stir in the parsley, dill and mint and then add the feta cheese.
- Drizzle the salad dressing on the tuna pasta salad {I start with half and stir to see how I like the flavor}.
- Add lemon zest to the salad and serve immediately or refrigerate.
- Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
Store the leftoevers in a sealed container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
This salad tastes great the day after so you can easily make it the day before. I might wait to add the fresh herbs because I think they taste best right after they are chopped and added in.
For the dressing if you are making it ahead of time I would add half of the dressing and then the other half when you are ready to serve it.
