Easy Tuna Pasta Salad | High Protein Recipe

f you’re looking for a dish that’s quick to make, budget-friendly, and totally delish, this Easy Tuna Pasta Salad is going to be your new obsession. Whether you’re planning for the week or looking for a new pasta salad recipe, you’re in the right place!

Unlike many creamy pasta salad recipes that rely heavily on mayonnaise, this one achieves its creaminess through a smooth and incredibly delicious cottage cheese sauce. It’s a high-protein pasta salad that fills you up and keeps you full for hours!

It’s affordable and one of my favorite pantry recipes, and if you’re into high-protein recipes, check out my tips for (it can be finicky) and my collection of !

Growing up, we didn’t have much. My mom died when I was very young, and my dad raised three young girls on his own. Our meals were simple and predictable, but they were always delicious. He was a great cook, and I loved his tuna casserole. This isn’t a casserole, but it always reminds me of him.

Packed with lean tuna, beans, eggs, and chickpea pasta, it’s a protein-packed salad that keeps you satisfied for hours. Serve it as a cold pasta salad in the summer for BBQs and picnics, add it to your healthy meal plans, pack it for a high-protein cold lunch that doesn’t need to be reheated, or prep it ahead for a meal-prep tuna pasta salad to enjoy all week.

Easy Tuna Pasta Salad
Since eating a diet high in protein has helped me , I made some adjustments to increase the fiber and protein content in this dish. You’ll only use 8 ounces of dry pasta, but we bulk it up with veggies, tuna, and a killer sauce. This is an excellent example of high-volume, high-protein, lower-calorie eating. The extra protein is satiating and helps to stabilize blood sugar spikes.

Main Ingredients
Using staples most of us already have, this easy tuna pasta salad is one of my favorite pantry recipes.

Pasta. alone adds forty grams of protein! Use whatever brand you like.
Tuna. I use . Tuna and oil can be a little heavy and high in calories.
Eggs. I adore tuna pasta salad with eggs, and they add extra protein to the dish.
Beans. are creamy and buttery, adding additional protein.
Peas. The pop of sweetness is delicious in this salad, but you can leave them out if you’re not a fan.
The cottage cheese sauce is truly the star of this recipe, and it couldn’t be easier to prepare. Add the cottage cheese, mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, Dijon, and seasonings to a small food processor. Blend until smooth before mixing it with the pasta and the remaining ingredients!

Note. You’ll notice that I don’t include a salt measurement. This is because cottage cheese is inherently salty. Depending on the brand of tuna you use, it can also contain a significant amount of sodium. I recommend waiting until the very end to taste and adjust the salt!

How To Make Easy Tuna Pasta Salad

How To Make Easy Tuna Pasta Salad

• Let your multitasking skills shine as you make this recipe! Once the water is boiling for the pasta, proceed to the sauce. By the time you’re done with the sauce, the pasta should be done, and it’s really just a matter of mixing everything and adjusting the ingredients to your taste!
• When cooking pasta for pasta salad, cook it thoroughly. You don’t want it to be al dente. Have you ever eaten leftover pasta salad and found the pasta to be a bit undercooked or brittle? That’s because pasta will firm up as it cools. This is a rare instance where you actually don’t want to start with al dente pasta.

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Recipe Tips + Variations

• Store in a covered container for up to four days. I don’t recommend freezing pasta salad.
• For additional texture and fiber, adding celery, bell peppers, and red onion would be delicious!
• We used , which adds 10 grams of protein per serving plus fiber.
• I used dried herbs to make this recipe user-friendly, but fresh herbs would be delicious.
• A generous squeeze of lemon would brighten up the whole dish, and I would’ve added it if I had it.

I recommend waiting until the dish is completely done before adding salt. Cottage cheese is inherently salty, and so is tuna. Wait until you’ve mixed everything before adding salt. If you’re making this in advance, wait until just before serving to salt, as the flavors will develop and change in the refrigerator.

Products + Equipment Used in This Recipe

• An  quickly chops the eggs and is great for prepping other veggies.
• This  makes mixing the salad much easier.
• I use my  several times a week. It’s perfect for making the sauce!
• A  is a kitchen essential, and it’s ideal for gently mixing salads.
• I love serving this in a . It’s so pretty!
•  if you transport the salad from here and want a disposable option.

How To Make This Budget-Friendly

• Stock up on pantry ingredients when they’re on sale to save money later. Shopping sales are one of the easiest ways to save money on groceries.
• Don’t be a brand snob, especially when cooking with an ingredient. For example, I love Good Culture cottage cheese, but it’s pricey. For cooking, I buy the big containers of Daisy when they go on sale.
• If you don’t have eggs or beans, don’t make an extra trip to the store. They’re there for added protein, but the recipe would be just as good without them. Recipes are guides, not rules.

If you’ve tried my easy tuna pasta salad or any recipe on my site, please leave a comment below!