This is a republished recipe of mine from 2011! I decided it was time for an update, and wanted to share the recipe because it is a summer favorite in our house. After all, who doesn’t love a retro summer pasta salad?! It has been a hot few days in our area, and cooking in my oven or over the stove has not been high on my list of things I want to do. This recipe is a go-to for me then the summer heat warrants a break.
One of the most entertaining things about blogging is laughing at your old posts. Sometimes it is what or how I wrote something, or it was prior to marriage or children, and I was blissfully unaware of what the phrase “I am tired” meant. This post was originally posted a month before Ron and I got married, and a year and half before Kellen was born. Here is the text from the original post:
“Earlier this week Ron and I wee craving a cold pasta salad to go with our warm days. We recently made a chicken pesto salad and thought a retro tuna pasta salad would be perfect. I added a few different ingredients to break from the ultra traditional pasta salad. It was just what the doctor ordered! Next time I think a few dashes of curry powder would be a wonderful twist. Enjoy!”
Sometimes I am so embarrassed by my former self. And then I laugh because it is funny, and one of my favorite unexpected rewards of blogging. I have a few recipes I am replenishing over the next few weeks, and I am sure you will enjoy my mockery of my younger self because I know I certainly will because that is part of the fun. This particular one makes me laugh because I really was a woman of few words, and how different things are now!
All joking aside my opinion on curry powder still carries carries through because curry tuna salad is delicious. I posted a recipe for Curry Chicken Pasta Salad in 2013, and that is also delicious and probably due for a republish as well to get a nicer photo to share with all of you.
Until then you can feast your eyes on this delicious salad and all of the retro glory that it entails.
I love cold noodle salads on hot days. I like the prep them at night, and then enjoy them for lunch or dinner the following day. It is a big time saver, and so nice to have a meal I can grab from the fridge. I keep this recipe pretty traditional and made a few adjustments that I have made to my recipe since I last posted it. I use a base of mayo and sour cream, and a pretty simple spice mixture. As I stated above, curry power would be a delicious addition. To my salad, I add white tuna, pasta (I prefer medium shells), peas, finely diced onion and celery. I like to keep my veggies small so the give a little crunchy texture, but they do not overwhelm the salad, especially the onion. I also like to let this salad rest in the fridge after I put it together. You can serve it right away, but I like the let the sauce and spices settle into the pasta and tuna. Plus, I think it is best when it is nice and cold.
I serve this salad with a green salad mix and seasonal fruit. Last night we enjoyed this with watermelon, and was a perfect summer meal.
Tonight we are going to beat the heat with a few friends and go swimming. There is a swimming area that is open a little later on Wednesdays, and the kids are going to be thrilled to take a dip tonight. Rowan had his regular swim class today, and laid on the pool deck sobbing when it was time to get out. I have to say that getting out of the water to venture out into the heat had me feeling the exact same way. I figured that swimming tonight would be a nice treat for all of us, and the kids will get to enjoy sometime with their friends. Our pools begin to close this weekend as many of the lifeguard are students, and have to prepare to get back to school. It makes me so sad that we are already to that point of the summer because that means we are a few short weeks from school starting!
An update on Kellen’s kindergarten camp is two thumbs up. He really likes it, and I think have the kindergartners come early for a few hours of fun is a smart way to get kids acclimated to a new school because they already feel part of it come September. Kellen hasn’t interacted with too many of the new kids yet, but is starting to warm up to everyone. I think he is pretty excited about the new playground and playing freeze tag. I am really happy that this has been so positive for him, and I know it will make the transition easier for all of us in a few weeks.
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Grilled Steak and Potato Salad
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Tuna Noodle Pasta
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chilling Time 2 hours
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 6 people
Ingredients
- 1 lb medium shell pasta (or another shaped pasta)
- 10 oz solid white tuna packed in water, drained and broken a part
- 1/3 cup finely diced white onion
- 1/3 cup finely diced celery
- 2/3 cup frozen peas
- 1 1/4 cup mayo
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp seasoning salt
- 1 1/2 tsp sugar
Instructions
Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain, rinse, and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together mayo, sour cream, tuna, onion, celery, peas, and seasoning.
Gently stir in the pasta until it is well coated
Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours
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