Gluten Free Tuna Pasta Salad

This Gluten Free Tuna Pasta Salad is a quick and easy gluten free lunch recipe for BBQ side dish. A healthy tuna pasta salad with pesto and olives which can be thrown together in less than 15 minutes.

If there’s one thing I always devoured in my school lunchboxes it was a super simple but delicious Gluten Free Tuna Pasta Salad.

There’s something about a tuna salad with pasta that is just pure comfort food. And a good gluten free pasta salad like this can be eaten cold or hot.

Not only is this tuna pasta salad really easy to make, it’s also an affordable lunch idea and great for making in bulk for meal prep.

Plus this cold tuna pasta salad doubles up as a killer BBQ side dish or something for a picnic when you want to bring your own dish.

I use simple storecupboard ingredients with a tasty pesto mayo dressing but you can easily mix this recipe up how you like.

And if you’re dairy or egg free too I’ve added some notes below on how you can make this gluten free recipe suitable for everyone.

So next time you’re lacking in lunch inspiration, bookmark this page and come back to it so you can make this gluten free tuna pasta salad over-and-over again.

Ingredients

There’s a full printable recipe card below, but here’s a list of the main ingredients you’ll need for this tuna pasta salad.

I’ve also included ideas for any substitutions if you want to mix it up or have other dietary requirements to think of.

For this gluten free tuna pasta salad recipe you will need:

• Gluten Free Pasta – I recommend picking a good brand of gluten free pasta (see FAQs below for the best gluten free pasta for pasta salad). I like to use fusilli (swirls) or penne (tubes) as it holds the pesto mayo dressing really well. But you could make anything from sourcing gluten free orzo to a tuna macaroni salad.
• Tinned Tuna – Well, it wouldn’t be a tuna pasta salad without it, right!?
• Tinned Sweetcorn – Because tuna and sweetcorn are just the dream team. You can also use frozen sweetcorn (defrosted) in this recipe if you prefer. Frozen peas (also defrosted) are a great alternative if you don’t like sweetcorn.
• Kalamata Olives – Any form of olives will work but I just love the big, salty flavours they add to this dish. You could omit them if you don’t like olives or try switching them for chopped, sundried tomatoes instead.
• Spring Onions – These just add a kick of flavour without being overpowering. I do love spring onions in any form of salad.
• Mayonnaise – You can use a vegan mayo if you need the recipe to be egg/dairy free. I prefer a fuller-fat one as it makes the pasta salad much creamier.
• Pesto – Just bulk standard, green pesto is a winner – even better if it’s a homemade pesto. If you want to mix it up try a red pesto or even a chilli one. And for dairy free/vegan, use a vegan pesto instead.

How to make Tuna Pasta Salad

If you want to know how to make tuna salad with pasta, I’ve got some step-by-step photos here, as well as a video showing you the basic steps.

To make my gluten free tuna pasta salad recipe:

1. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and once boiling, add the pasta. Cook as per the pack instructions until al dente – usually this takes around 8-10 minutes. Once cooked, drain the pasta and rinse in a little cold water.

2. While the pasta is cooking, mix the mayonnaise and pesto in a bowl until combined and set to one side.

3. Once the pasta is cooked and drained, add it to a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients (tuna, olives and sweetcorn) to the bowl.

4. Add in the pesto mayonnaise and mix everything together well. Add fresh torn basil leaves if you like, mixing them through, and enjoy hot or cold.

Watch my step-by-step video on how to make a tuna pasta salad here:

Variations

Want to make this tuna pasta salad recipe with a twist? Here are ideas for a few variatons:

• Make it spicy: Add some dried chilli flakes to the recipe or switch the pesto for a chilli pesto instead.
• Tuna Pasta Salad Without Mayo: Want to make this recipe without the mayonnaise? Simply omit it and use just pesto, or mix the pesto with a little extra virgin olive oil.
• Greek Yoghurt: You can also make this tuna pasta salad without mayo by switching it for plain Greek yoghurt. This will make a lighter and tangier recipe.
• Extra Veg: Up the veg content of this salad by adding some extra bits such as chopped cucumber, cherry tomato quarters or even peas.

Frequently Asked Questions

Before we get started, let me answer some of the questions you may have about this gluten free tuna pasta salad recipe.

This gluten free tuna pasta salad recipe is perfect for lunches and the ideal side dish for a summer salad or BBQ.

It’s also a great picnic staples and school lunchbox idea too – especially as it’s so easy to change up the flavours and fillings.

This recipe serves 2 as a main course or 4 people as a side dish. But you can easily size it up or down depending on your needs.

If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. You can also share your creations in my Facebook group! And please do leave a 5* review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me and really helps support my website.