This Tuna Tortellini Pasta Salad is a simple, vibrant dish that feels light but is also comforting. It's accompanied by a lovely homemade Chive Vinaigrette - a dressing so good you’ll want to drizzle it on every type of cold pasta salad this summer.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- BEST summer side dish. What's not to love about a pasta salad? Cold pasta salads are the ultimate summer side dish. They are easy to assemble, endlessly customizable, and always a hit at potlucks.
- Great for a crowd. Speaking of potlucks, this tuna pasta salad is great for gatherings. I often prepare a larger batch so I can get several meals out of it.
- No mayo. Here's the deal: mayonnaise and summer weather don't mix. I've been to one too many gatherings where a mayo-laden pasta salad just hangs out on a picnic table without so much as a bowl of ice underneath keeping things cool. This recipe keeps things light with a simple homemade Chive Vinaigrette, which also significantly reduces the risk of food poisoning.
- A great balance. Tortellini is filled with cheese, so giving this salad the vinaigrette treatment helps strike a balance between light and comforting. This Shoestring Potato Tuna Salad recipe also strikes that balance without using mayo.
Typically rotini is my go-to for cold pasta salads, but tortellini is a brilliant choice because they are hearty little cheese-stuffed pasta nuggets. Plus, they hold their shape well and have plenty of surface area suitable for soaking up the flavors of that fresh chive dressing.
Note: You don't have to use my chive dressing, per se. You can substitute ½ cup of your favorite vinaigrette. But if you have the time, try the chive dressing on this tuna pasta salad; the chive flavor is fantastic against the tuna and tortellini.
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Ingredients
- Dried tortellini pasta - I insist that you use a tri-color tortellini because it's pretty and festive, and don't your deserve a festive salad? I opted for a dried cheese tortellini.
- Canned tuna - I often reach for yellowfin tuna in olive oil because you can reserve the olive oil for use in the salad.
- Red cherry tomatoes - Hit up the Farmer's Market or a roadside stand and get the freshest cherry tomatoes you can find.
- Shallots - Shallots offer a more delicate flavor that's like a onion/garlic hybrid, but you could also use a little red onion instead. Give the red onion a quick ice water bath to mellow out the aggressiveness before adding to the salad.
- Fresh chives - Chopped, optional, for garnish.
- Homemade Chive Vinaigrette (see recipe below) - Makes around ½ cup, which is the perfect amount for this salad.
How to Make Tuna Pasta Salad - Directions
Cook tortellini pasta according to package directions. Rinse tortellini with cold water to prevent them from continuing to cook. Let excess water strain off.
Add 2 (5-ounce) cans of tuna in olive oil to a bowl. The olive oil the tuna is packed in will be added to the salad as it’s packed with flavor.
Add quartered cherry tomatoes, diced shallots, and strained tortellini to the bowl.
Add Chive Vinaigrette (see below for recipe) and stir until well combined. Refrigerate in a lidded container until serving. For best results, chill for 2-4 hours before serving to let the flavors meld.
When serving, garnish with freshly chopped chives (optional).
For best results, store in a lidded container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
How to Make Homemade Chive Vinaigrette
This homemade chive dressing has a spicy pop thanks to fresh jalapeno and a beautiful balance of citrus from fresh-squeezed lime juice. It’s just perfect for drizzling over cold tortellini pasta salads.
Ingredients
- 1 jalapeno, seeded
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (use a good quality EVOO with a mild flavor)
- 5 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lime juice (or about 2 small limes)
Makes approximately ½ cup vinaigrette.
Instructions
Add 5 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lime juice, 1 jalapeno, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, 2 tablespoons fresh chives, and ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil to a food processor or blender.
Blend for 20-30 seconds, until well combined.
A Note on Ingredients
Canned tuna
Feel free to use whatever brand floats your fancy, but splurge on a quality can. I give you permission. I opted for a yellowfin tuna in olive oil (Genova brand). Since the tuna is the starring protein in this salad it’s important that you don’t skimp on quality here - you want the tuna to stand out.
What’s also important to note is that I chose a canned tuna packed in olive oil. I have to insist on this over canned tuna packed in water. You will be using the olive oil that the tuna comes packed in because it’s flavorful and adds richness to the salad.
Fresh chives vs. dried chives
Fresh chives are absolutely the way to go here; the chive dressing NEEDS that fresh onion-y pop to really stand out. The taste of chives tends to be on the more delicate side, so much so that I’ve found that dried chives simply fail to capture the delicate nuances of fresh. If you must have a substitute, your best bet is to use green onion (scallion) greens instead, which you can use at a 1:1 ratio.
Dried tortellini vs. fresh tortellini
For this cold tortellini pasta salad you’re going to want to go with dried tortellini. Dried tortellini is able to withstand the rigors of being a cold pasta salad. Dried pasta is firmer than fresh and can hold up to the heartiest of sauces. Also, because they are made by an entirely different process than fresh, dried tortellini has a “rougher” texture that encourages flavorful sauces to stick to the exterior.
Read more about the difference between fresh vs. dry pasta.
Top Tips for the BEST Tuna Pasta Salad
Tip 1. Address next-day dryness. I find that the Chive Dressing recipe included here to be the perfect amount of dressing for this pasta salad. If you feel like your salad is on the “dry” side the next day, you could always whip up a new batch of chive dressing and reserve the leftovers for another use. Or you could try adding a splash or two of pickle juice, a drizzle of olive oil, or a little bit of a store-purchased dressing that has a similar flavor profile.
Tip 2. Use the freshest ingredients you can find. Especially the cherry tomatoes! Fresh tomatoes really pop in this recipe. Fresh spinach, bell peppers, and celery also make great additions.
If you're looking for a similar cold summer salads try Zesty Jalapeno Top Ramen Salad, Dill Pickle Pasta Salad, and Tex-Mex Pasta Salad.
Recipe FAQs
You can certainly use tuna packed in water instead of packed in oil, just make sure to strain it before adding to the Tuna Pasta Salad. You may need to add an extra drizzle of olive oil if you feel the salad is a touch dry when using tuna packed in water. Oil and water just don't mix, which is why I recommend tuna packed in oil for this vinaigrette-based tuna pasta salad.
The following ingredients would make great additions to this Tuna Pasta Salad without Mayo recipe:
Spinach (fresh)
Red or yellow onion
Sundried tomatoes
Black olives
Green olives
Banana peppers
Bell pepper
Marinated artichokes
Celery
Parmesan cheese
I don't see why not! Add 10-12 ounces of shredded or cubed chicken to the salad and leave the tuna out to create one tasty chicken pasta salad.
For best results, store leftover tuna tortellini pasta salad in a lidded container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Store any leftover Chive Vinaigrette in a sealed container (like a Mason jar) for up to 5 days.
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Tuna Pasta Salad without Mayo
Ingredients
Tuna Tortellini Pasta Salad
- 1 pound dried tri-color tortellini pasta
- 2 5-ounce cans yellowfin tuna in olive oil reserve the olive oil for use in the salad
- 12 ounces red cherry tomatoes quartered
- 1-2 shallots finely diced
- ½ cup chive vinaigrette or a vinaigrette of your choosing
- fresh chives, chopped optional, for garnish
Chive Dressing
- 1 jalapeno seeded
- ½ teaspoon cumin ground
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons chives fresh, chopped
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil use a good quality EVOO with a mild flavor
- 5 tablespoons lime juice fresh-squeezed, about 2 small limes
Instructions
- Cook tortellini according to package directions. Rinse tortellini with cold water to prevent them from continuing to cook. Let excess water strain off and add tortellini to a bowl.1 pound dried tri-color tortellini pasta
- Add 2 (5-ounce) cans of tuna in olive oil to a bowl. The olive oil the tuna is packed in will be added to the salad as it’s packed with flavor.2 5-ounce cans yellowfin tuna in olive oil
- Add quartered cherry tomatoes, diced shallots, and strained tortellini to the bowl. Add Chive Vinaigrette (or a vinaigrette of your choosing) and stir until well combined.12 ounces red cherry tomatoes, 1-2 shallots, ½ cup chive vinaigrette
- Refrigerate in a lidded container until serving. For best results, chill for 2-4 hours before serving to let the flavors meld.
- When serving, garnish with freshly chopped chives (optional).fresh chives, chopped
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