Creamy Healthy Tuna Pasta Salad
This Healthy Tuna Pasta Salad recipe is super creamy and loaded with veggies, protein, and whole grain pasta. It’s sure to be a hit at your potlucks, cookouts and gatherings!

If you love a good creamy pasta salad, you’re going love this recipe!
Not only is it creamy and delicious, it’s actually really good for you too. This recipe features whole grain pasta, tuna, fresh and cooked veggies like cucumber, celery, and peas, and a creamy, tangy greek-yogurt based dressing.
It’s a big salad, so it’s great to bring to gatherings – especially warm weather BBQs and cookouts. It’s sure to be a hit with your family and friends! I love serving it up with my favourite grilled proteins like chicken in the summertime, and I hope you do too!
Healthy Tuna Pasta Salad Ingredients:
For the Healthy Tuna Pasta Salad:
- A short, whole grain pasta like rotini, fusilli, or penne
- Chopped cucumber, celery, and red bell pepper
- Cooked frozen peas
- Canned flaked tuna
For the Creamy Dressing:
- Plain Greek yogurt
- Mayonnaise
- Dijon mustard
- Lemon juice
- Chopped fresh dill
- Garlic powder
- Salt & pepper
How to Make This Healthy Tuna Pasta Salad Recipe:
Step 1: Combine Pasta, Veggies and Tuna
Cook pasta according to package directions. While the pasta is cooking, prep the vegetables by chopping the cucumber, celery and red bell pepper, and cook frozen peas according to package directions.
When the pasta is cooked, rinse with cool water, then add to a large bowl with chopped vegetables and cooked peas. Drain and rinse the canned tuna and add this to the bowl as well.
Step 2: Make Healthy Tuna Pasta Salad Dressing
In a separate bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice and dijon mustard. Add chopped fresh dill, garlic powder, salt and pepper and mix until well-combined.
Step 3: Mix Everything Together!
Add dressing to the bowl of salad ingredients and mix well until everything is coated with dressing and well-combined. If you have time, place the pasta salad in the fridge to chill for 20-30 minutes prior to serving.
How to Store Leftovers:
If you have leftovers (which you may – this recipe makes a lot), simply store them in an airtight container in the fridge. This healthy tuna pasta salad should keep well in the fridge up to 5 days. Give the pasta salad a good mix before serving the leftovers!
More Healthy Pasta Salad Recipes You’ll Love:
- Zesty Italian Pasta Salad
- Pesto Pasta Salad with White Beans
- Spicy Peanut Noodle Salad
- Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
- BLT Pasta Salad
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Creamy Healthy Tuna Pasta Salad
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 1 375g box whole wheat rotini pasta, or fusilli/penne
- 1/2 cup chopped cucumber
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped red bell pepper, or sliced cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup cooked frozen peas
- 1 12 oz. can flaked white tuna, drained
For the Dressing:
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, (Greek yogurt *not regular yogurt)
- 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
- 1/2 tsp pepper, or to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions, then drain and rinse with cool water and add to a large bowl with chopped cucumber, celery, red bell pepper, peas, and tuna.
- In a separate bowl, make the dressing by whisking together greek yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice and dijon mustard. Stir in chopped dill, garlic powder, salt and pepper until well-combined.
- Pour the dressing over salad ingredients and mix well until all ingredients are well-coated and combined. Taste, and season with additional salt and pepper as necessary.
- If you can, chill pasta salad in the fridge for 20-30 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
I make this all the time to have on hand for quick lunches or snacks. I crave it! I like to add a little bit of finely chopped red onion.
It is great with crackers for a mid-day snack on a busy day, and it’s easy to incorporate other leftovers into if you need to make it more filling (avocado, corn, black beans, green onion etc.) I like to make it a day in advance.
I’m so glad to hear! Love that you add other things like beans or avocado to it!
We’ve made this a few times, such a great filling option for lunch!
So happy to hear 😊
What sized tuna is recommended for the recipe? I see it comes in 5 ounce and 12 ounce cans. This looks delicious and super healthy so I can’t wait to try it!
Thanks so much for pointing this out! A 12 ounce can is what I use. I will update the recipe accordingly as well!
Love this recipe but I add an extra small can of tuna and some shallots
Thanks so much Holly!
I make this often because I’m always craving it! I adjust to what I have on hand. Today I omitted the peas and celery, but added a chopped dill pickle!Â
Oh I love that you added a pickle! Definitely going to try that next time.
I accidentally used 1/4 c of dijon. Turned out great. Also no greek yogurt I usually have but didn’t. Used all mayo. Made for work so excited for their response!
Glad it still turned out with the substitutions!
A box of pasta, boxes come in different sizes & in bag form so how many cups of pasta would be of help 😌
You are so right. A 375g box of pasta is what I use. I’ll update this!
Sorry but I did not get a reply back regarding my previous post….how many cups of pasta?
Hi Elaine, a 375g box would produce approx. 4 cups of pasta.