Roy’s Tuna Pasta Salad (Gluten Free Option)
As many of you know, Roy is the pasta master. Nobody makes a pasta like Roy, and that includes his pasta salads! This Tuna Pasta Salad is perfect for Spring. It’s delicious, easy, and great to bring to a party. And don’t worry, gluten free friends, I came up with a version made with rice so that we aren’t missing out on any of the goodness! CLICK HERE to get right to the gluten free recipe!
How to Make Tuna Pasta Salad
Roy’s Tuna Pasta Salad comes together quickly, but it does take a bit of finesse. Start by following the directions for cooking the pasta, but cook it 1-2 minutes less than recommended. This will make sure your pasta holds its structure once it’s all mixed in.
Briefly rinse the pasta to make sure it doesn’t keep cooking and allow it to cool slightly. Then transfer it to a large bowl. Add the mayo, celery, onion , chives, and parsley and mix well. Add peas, tuna, salt, and pepper and mix until just combined. Taste and add more salt and pepper to taste, if needed.
Now, you might want to dig in right away after this, but make sure you cover and refrigerate first. This will allow the pasta some time to soak up all the flavors and make sure it reaches that perfect consistency. Bring it to all your Spring or Easter gatherings and immediately become the most popular person there!
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Roy’s Tuna Pasta Salad
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
Description
This Tuna Pasta Salad is perfect for Spring! It’s quick and easy to make and it will be a total crowd pleaser at any party.
Ingredients
16 ounces farfalle pasta or small pasta of choice, cooked al dente (7 cups)
2 cups mayo
1 cup chopped celery
2/3 cup diced sweet yellow onion
4 tablespoons minced chives
4 tablespoons minced parsley
2 cups frozen peas
2 (4.5-ounce) cans olive oil packed tuna
1 ½ teaspoons Kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Follow the directions on the pasta packaging but boil for 1 to 2 minutes less than the suggested amount of time. Drain the pasta and let cool slightly.
Place pasta in a large mixing bowl and add the mayo, celery, onion, chives, and parsley and mix well. Add the tuna with its oil, peas, salt, and pepper and mix until just combined. Taste and add more salt and pepper to taste, if needed.
Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of two hours but it is best if left in the refrigerator for 12 hours or overnight.
Serve as a side dish or as is and enjoy!
Keywords: tuna pasta salad
How to Make Gluten Free Tuna Rice Salad
To make the gluten free version, we just updated a few elements, but kept all the delicious flavors in there. You might be tempted just to replace the pasta with GF pasta, but because it is getting mixed together with other ingredients and then stored in the fridge, it’s not going to yield the same fabulous result as the tuna pasta salad. So, trust me on these adjustments!
Start by making your rice. In this instance, you want to rinse the rice both before and after cooking to make sure to get out as much starch as possible. After it is cooked and well rinsed, you are ready to assemble.
In a large bowl, add the rice, tuna, frozen peas, celery, onion, herbs, olive oil and mayo. Using a spatula, toss to fully combine, from the bottom-up. Add salt and pepper. Add more if needed. The spatula is crucial here because it will make sure that everything gets properly combined. I love a wood spoon as much as the next gal, but in this case, the spatula is key!
Once it’s all mixed together, cover and place in the fridge for a few hours to let the flavor really set in. Then, enjoy with everything and anything! I’m warning you now: it’s hard to stop eating this deliciousness. I want like three bowls every time I make it!
If you make this Tuna Pasta Salad or Tuna Rice Salad, be sure to rate and review it below. If you’re looking for more inspiration, sign up for our Friday Favorites newsletter, and follow along on Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok to join in all the fun!
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Gluten Free Roy’s Tuna Rice Salad
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This gluten free version of Roy’s Tuna Pasta Salad is pretty ingenious if I do say so myself! I’m so excited to share it with all of my gluten free friends!
Ingredients
4 cups cooked rice, (See Note)
1 (4.5-ounce) can tuna in extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup frozen peas
½ cup chopped celery
1/3 cup chopped sweet yellow onion
2 tablespoons chopped chives
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
½ cup high quality extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup mayonnaise
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Once the rice is cooked, using a colander rinse the rice well. Set aside and drain well.
In a large bowl, add the rice, the tuna with its oil, frozen peas, celery, onion, herbs, olive oil and mayo. Using a spatula, toss to fully combine, from the bottom-up. Add salt and pepper. Add more if needed.
Cover and place in the refrigerator and let it sit for a couple of hours, but preferably over night for all the flavors to set.
Notes
Note: Before cooking your rice, rinse and drain well. This will remove the extra starch from the rice. In this recipe we recommend rinsing the rice before and after cooking.
Keywords: rice salad, tuna salad
Drain the tuna correct?
NO !! Don’t drain the olive oil
Hi! Are the peas frozen when added to the dish or are they thawed? Does it matter? Thank you!
Yes add frozen
It all works out
Thank you! Made this tonight, my goodness it is good!!
thanks
Looks amazing.
What brand of canned tuna do you recommend?
They are out of oil packed tuna at my grocery store! Can I add oil to regular tuna
it will be better with the oil but u can do without
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SO GOOD! We make this on repeat in our house, often using green onions instead of white. We do use GF brown rice pasta (Jovial brand) – but my kids always want to eat it warm (and the bowl is wiped clean every time) so the GF pasta works for us. GF pasta cold is not good texture wise as Teri points out – so definitely use the rice option if wanting it chilled. While the flavors do set in better cold – you can’t go wrong either way! Thanks so much for this simple yet fabulous recipe.