This tuna pasta salad is a simple, nourishing and family-friendly meal that comes together quickly with everyday ingredients. It combines quality tuna, fresh herbs, vegetables and a lemon dressing for a light yet satisfying whole food lunch or dinner. Perfect for a warm weather light meal, lunchboxes or meal prep, it’s one of those reliable recipes that works just as well for a crowd as it does for a weeknight family table.
Health benefits
Tuna provides high-quality protein and omega-3 fatty acids to support brain and cardiovascular health. One serving delivers approximately 30-35 grams of protein and around 6-7 grams of fibre, depending on the pasta used and portion size. The addition of olives and extra virgin olive oil contributes beneficial monounsaturated fats, while fresh basil, capsicum and corn increase antioxidant diversity. When made with wholemeal or legume-based pasta, fibre content increases further to support digestive and metabolic health.
Ingredients
This salad combines farfalle, penne or spiral pasta with tuna, spring onion, sweet corn kernels, feta, pitted olives, diced red capsicum and fresh basil, dressed simply with extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt and pepper.
How to make Tuna Pasta Salad
Bring a large pot of water to the boil and briefly cook the corn if using fresh cobs, then remove and cool before slicing off the kernels. Salt the water lightly and cook the pasta until al dente, then drain and rinse under cold water to cool completely. In a large bowl, gently break up the tuna and combine with spring onion, corn, feta, olives, capsicum and basil. Add the cooled pasta, drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice, season well and toss until evenly combined.
Serving suggestions and how to store
Serve immediately as a balanced lunch or light dinner, ideally with extra leafy greens to increase fibre and phytonutrient diversity. This salad also works beautifully for meal prep, picnics or lunchboxes. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and refresh with an extra squeeze of lemon if needed before serving.
Vary Tuna Pasta Salad to suit your dietary needs
For a gluten-free option, choose a quality gluten-free pasta. To make it dairy-free, omit the feta or replace with a dairy-free alternative. For an onion-free version, simply leave out the spring onion. You can also omit the corn if preferred or add extra leafy greens for a lower glycaemic load variation.
For more healthy pasta salad recipes, click HERE.
Tuna Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 2 corn cob/s – or (1 cup) kernels
- 400 g farfalle pasta – or penne or spirals
- 425 g can tuna
- 6 spring onion/s – white part sliced
- 100 g feta cheese
- 150 g pitted olives (1 cup) approx. halved
- 1 red capsicum/s – diced
- 1 bunch/s fresh basil leaves – leaves picked
- 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon/s – juice
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil. If using fresh corn and you need to cook it, peel the cobs and plunge into the boiling water for a minute or two. Remove and allow to cool.
- Lightly salt the water, add the pasta and cook until al dente, so it still has a slight bite. Drain well, then rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process and cool the pasta completely.
- In a large salad bowl, add the tuna and gently break it up with a fork. Stir through the spring onion, corn kernels (cut from cooked corn cobs or use canned or frozen kernels), feta, olives, red capsicum and fresh basil.
- Add the cooled pasta to the bowl. Drizzle over the olive oil and lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, and toss gently until everything is evenly combined.
- Serve immediately.
Store
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
