This pasta salad has it all: tender macaroni, genereous pieces of tuna, crisp celery, peppers, and red onions, finished with a tangy, peppery, creamy yogurt dressing
Ingredients
3 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
8 ounces dry elbow macaroni
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup whole-milk yogurt (not Greek)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (5-ounce) can solid tuna in oil or water, drained
Measuring cups and spoons
Saucepan
Colander
Chef’s knife and cutting board
Mixing bowls
Large spoon or spatula
Instructions
Hard-boil the eggs if needed. There are plenty of methods for hard-boiling eggs and you can use whatever recipe is tried and true for you. Hard-boil 3 eggs, cool, peel, and chop the eggs before starting the rest of the salad.
Marinate the vegetables for 15 minutes. Place the bell pepper, red onion, celery, lemon juice, and salt in a large bowl, stir to combine, and set aside for 15 minutes to marinate. Meanwhile, cook the pasta.
Boil the pasta. Bring about 2 quarts of water to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the pasta and salt, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook the pasta until tender but not mushy, about 8 minutes or according to package directions. While the pasta is cooking, fill a large bowl with ice and water.
Shock the pasta. Immediately drain the pasta into a colander and rinse under cool running water. Drain, then place the colander with the pasta in it directly into the bowl of ice water and cool for 3 minutes. Remove the colander from the ice bath and drain well. Transfer the drained pasta to the bowl of marinated vegetables.
Make the dressing. Place the mayo, yogurt, mustard, and black pepper in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
Add the egg and tuna to the dressing. Add the chopped egg and the drained tuna into the dressing. Use a spatula to gently fold them into the dressing.
Fold the pasta, dressing, and vegetables together. Transfer the dressing to the bowl of pasta and use the spatula to fold the dressing into the pasta and vegetables.
Season and serve. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed before serving.
