Tuna Confetti Pasta Salad
Yes…you read that right. Tuna Confetti Pasta Salad. And no…this is not you’re typical tuna pasta salad. 🙂 I wanted to have a little fun with this one. And if you’re typically a lover of tuna pasta salad, then you’re going to love this little number right here.
Now, we eat our fair share of tuna in my house. It’s fairly inexpensive and it’s something that I always keep in the cupboard for a quick and easy meal. For years, I’ve always made my mom’s tuna and egg salad (the one in my cookbook) and then just threw some pasta in with it to bulk it up a bit. And I’ll be honest, I had to warn Alex (my partner) that when he went reaching to get a serving…that was not the pasta salad that he was use to. Because I didn’t want to get that “deer in the headlights” look. If you know what I mean. Nevertheless, once he took a bite, I got that stamp of approval and so a star was born.
This salad is great anytime of the year, which I love. It’s doesn’t call for a lot of fresh ingredients other than a red bell pepper, which adds a little bit of sweetness and crunch. I also like to add in a small handful of cilantro. And for those of you that are not fans of cilantro, parsley could be used instead or you can omit it all together.
Now, what takes this salad to the next level is the addition of pickled jalapeno’s (the ones in the jar) and little bit of it’s brine. Don’t worry…the recipe doesn’t call for a lot. It’s just enough to add a little pizzazz or kick to the salad. I also enjoy using Spanish manzanilla olives and a little olive juice in this salad, because those little salty/briny bites really bring it home and tie it all together.
Other things that some of you may be inspired to add to this would be maybe some finely dice red onions or thinly sliced scallions. So, I look forward to reading other additions that you may think of. Enjoy!
If you enjoy this Tuna Confetti Pasta Salad, give my Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta Salad a try.
Get the Recipe: Tuna Confetti Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- salt, to taste
- 8 ounces elbow pasta, or something comparable
- 2 5-ounce cans water-packed wild-caught chunk light tuna, drained
- 1 cup canned corn kernels, drained
- ½ medium red bell pepper, diced small (about ¾ cup)
- ½ cup Spanish manzanilla olives, jarred, roughly chopped or sliced
- ½ cup mayonnaise, I use Hellmann's
- ⅓ cup pickled jalapeno slices, jarred, minced
- 1 small handful cilantro leaves, roughly chopped (or parsley)
- 2 tablespoons jalapeno juice or brine, from the jar, see above
- 1 tablespoon olive juice or brine, from the jar, see above
- ground black pepper, to taste
Equipment
- A Large Mixing Bowl
- A large Pot
Instructions
Make the pasta:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil over high heat. Stir in the pasta and cook until tender according to the package directions. Drain and allow to cool completely. Transfer the pasta to a large mixing bowl.
Make the salad:
- Add the tuna, corn, red bell pepper, olives, mayonnaise, jalapenos, cilantro, jalapeno juice, and olive juice to the bowl with the pasta and lightly stir the ingredients together. Give it a taste and season lightly with salt and pepper, if needed. If the salad seems too dry, stir in a tablespoon of water. Serve chilled and enjoy.
