This Classic Tuna Macaroni Salad is an easy-to-prepare side dish perfect with sandwiches. A quick summer salad recipe for picnics!
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Classic Tuna Macaroni Salad Recipe
The summer seems to quickly be coming to a close. I’m spending the week planning the school year for the kids. This is our third year homeschooling, and I gain confidence each year. The few weeks before school starts is always the same though…completely overwhelming!
I couldn’t let the summer go by without sharing our favorite Classic Tuna Macaroni Salad. Although I love our potato salad recipe like none other, there are times when I need a quick side dish. I love this recipe because there’s no peeling & chopping potatoes. There’s no dressing to mix. This is just a simple 5 ingredient salad that your family will love.
We like our macaroni salad with elbow macaroni, tuna, peas, hard boiled egg, and Miracle Whip (or mayonnaise). That’s it!
You can, of course, add in other ingredients if you’d like…celery, cucumber, onion, green pepper. You can even add in a little bit of spices if you’d like…salt, pepper, mustard. Go ahead and add in what you’d like to.
We keep ours simple, though. And if there is one leftover that I love, it’s leftover macaroni salad. I really could eat it forever.
This is a great recipe for a crowd, too. Just double or triple it depending on the amount of people you want to feed! This recipe feeds about 10 people. Try it for you for your next picnic!
Classic Tuna Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups elbow macaroni
- 4 large hard boiled eggs diced
- 10 ounces tuna fish drained
- 15 ounces peas drained or defrosted
- 1 1/2 cups Miracle Whip or mayonnaise
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the macaroni noodles according to the package directions. Rinse with cold water and drain well.
- Add in the diced hard boiled eggs, tuna, peas and Miracle Whip. Mix well. Store in the fridge until serving.
- Optional add-ins: salt, pepper, mustard, celery, onion, cucumber. You can add in just about anything you'd like!
Joy @ Yesterfood says
July 9, 2014 at 9:58 amI LOVE this wonderful classic! Perfect for a picnic or summer lunch! Pinned and scheduled to shared on FB today! 🙂
Anonymous says
May 27, 2017 at 2:23 amIm going to try your tuna salid. I forgot how to make it
My mom always did it. And she is gone now. I should have wri/ten it down. But im sure yours will be just as good. Thank you.
[email protected] says
July 9, 2014 at 3:41 pmLooks delicious….and I actually love the idea of adding in a bunch of extra veggies!
Jamie @ Love Bakes Good Cakes says
July 10, 2014 at 2:03 pmI haven’t had this is years! I had forgotten about this dish! Pinned so we can have it soon!
katherine says
February 18, 2015 at 3:51 pmI’ve always made my macaroni salad this way,for about 25 yrs every one loves it and requests me to make it for different functions..simply love it
Lizzy T says
February 19, 2015 at 8:28 amIt’s so comforting, isn’t it? Thanks for stopping by!
Deb says
April 26, 2019 at 11:20 amYears ago I had a recipe for tuna delight no peas or eggs but I think cream cheese or sour cream anyone know
Tammi says
April 13, 2015 at 1:48 pmGreat recipe however I prefer a bit less peas. I added an extra cup of noodles and still could’ve used only 3/4 can of peas and been plenty. I omitted the eggs as the peas have same texture and added a tablespoon of pickle juice and a tablespoon of dill pickle relish. It was excellent!
Deb says
October 7, 2017 at 1:27 amDelicious salad! Only change I made was adding cubed cheddar cheese! I loved how creamy the eggs made it!!
Julie Clark says
October 9, 2017 at 10:08 amMmm…cheddar cheese! Yum!
NaVonne says
February 28, 2018 at 9:16 pmI ALSO ADD PIMENTO AND GREEN PEPPERS TO MINE — IF YOU LIKE GREEN PEPPERS It IS SO TASTY AND WONDERFUL — I SKIP THE PEAS AS MY MOTHER DIDN’T ADD THEM AND I DON’T LIKE THEM EITHER AND I ONLY USE miracle whip i love the spark it gives it and i hate cheese in it. a very personal salad do it your way NUM
Cheri says
June 2, 2018 at 1:30 pmSounds good but I hate peas!
Evelyn says
November 22, 2018 at 11:03 pmIs this a very “creamy” dish?……I prefer to have a thicker type ……which mayonaise is best to use…or is Miracle Whip a better choice for me??…..
Eve
Julie Clark says
November 23, 2018 at 7:05 amYou can use mayo or miracle whip. It just depends on the flavor you’d like. If it isn’t creamy enough for you, you can add more of the mayo.
Denise Hargrove says
June 12, 2019 at 1:31 pmGreat recipe! I made it for a picnic and had to make myself stop eating it so I would have some to take to the picnic! I added onions and shredded carrots!