Confession: I’ve never been a huge tuna person, but this tuna pasta salad recipe converted me. I crave this easy pasta salad constantly and it’s a great lunch for work. If you’re not into asparagus, you can swap it out for any vegetable that tastes good blanched, like broccoli or green beans.
If you wanted to make this vegan, you can swap tuna out for chickpeas, but it won’t have the same savory flavor profile. It’s really all about the sauce! This recipe is perfect for using up herbs on their last legs. Use whatever you have on hand!
This recipe is also featured in my cookbook,The Workweek Lunch Cookbook: Easy, Delicious Meals to Meal Prep, Pack, and Take On The Goout on March 29, 2022! It includes 60 approachable recipes designed to be meal-prepped and stored.
What's In This Post
How to make this tuna pasta salad recipe your own
Change up the pasta
We used bowtie in this recipe, but really any short pasta would work! Penne, macaroni, shells, or a protein pasta like Banza would all be great.
You can also check out our delicious pesto pasta salad for another easy, no reheat meal!
Swap the veggies
Here use asparagus, red onion, avocado, and sun-dried tomatoes but you can change this however you like! You can add in cooked broccoli, raw bell pepper, thinly sliced carrots, cooked or raw mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, radishes, yellow bell pepper, spinach, arugula, or raw cucumber. Yours just may not look as green as ours did!
Change the protein
This pasta salad has canned tuna and chickpeas as its protein source, but you can mix it up! I would go for pinto beans, white beans, shredded chicken, or cooked chicken sausage would be great. Cooked and shredded salmon could also work.
Related:Cold Lunch Ideas: Meal Prep Recipes When You Don’t Have A Microwave
You can easily swap tuna for chicken
I suggest baking a chicken breast or two seasoned generously with lemon juice, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper at 375 F for 30 minutes. Let it rest for 15 minutes after cooking, then dice or shred it and add it to the pasta salad mixture.
Related:Picnic Food: No-Reheat Meals for a Perfect Picnic
Want to add mayo?
In this recipe, we use plain Greek yogurt, but you could absolutely use mayonnaise if you prefer! Use 1/3 cup mayo of your choice.
You could also do half mayonnaise and half Greek yogurt like in this recipe.
Storing this tuna pasta salad recipe:
This meal can last in the fridge for up to 4 days. It’s not freezer-friendly. I would recommend eating it cold or at room temp. Happy prepping!
Looking for more delicious recipes to try? Here are a few of our favorites!
- Vegan Wraps With Sweet Potato, Chickpeas, and Avocado
- Veggie Mac and Cheese With Cauliflower, Zucchini, and Bell Pepper
- Chicken Waldorf Salad With Quinoa (No Mayo!)
- Mediterranean Chicken Rice Bowls With Homemade Tzatziki
- Roasted Veggie Sandwiches | Meal Prep Friendly!
Related: Soft Foods to Eat After Oral Surgery
Green Tuna Pasta Salad
Author: Workweek Lunch
Rating
Servings: 3
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
Pin RecipePrint RecipeShop Ingredients
Ingredients
- 12 oz asparagus chopped into bite-sized pieces -root end discarded
- 6 oz bowtie pasta about 2 cups
- 1/2 cup parsley
- 1/2 cup basil
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- 1/2 lemon for juice
- 1 TBSP dijon mustard
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2/3 cup avocado about half of a large avocado
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper ground
- 2 5 oz canned tuna 10 oz. total
- 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped
- 1/2 cup red onion chopped, sub shallots
Instructions
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the asparagus and pasta to the water at the same time, with a generous pinch of salt. Continue to cook until the pasta is cooked through, and then drain and cover the pasta and asparagus with a lid until ready to use.
To a food processor, add the parsley, basil, cilantro, juice from half a lemon, mustard, garlic, Greek yogurt, avocado, water, salt and pepper. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed, for about 5 minutes until smooth.
To a large bowl, add the cooked pasta, asparagus, tuna, sun dried tomatoes, red onion and blended sauce. Toss well to mix everything together.
Divide the pasta salad between three meal prep containers.
Storage, reheating and serving notes: This pasta salad lasts for up to four days in the fridge. It’s best to eat cold or at room temperature, but you can reheat it in the microwave if you want. This meal is not freezer friendly.
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with us and tag @workweeklunch! Can’t wait to see what you made!
