Creamy Lemon Dill Tuna Pasta Salad (And Why I Ditched the Celery)
I took the celery out of tuna pasta salad and I am not sorry about it.
Summer pasta salad is officially back, and this is the version I keep coming back to. It has everything you want from the classic: creamy, cold, lemony, perfect straight out of the fridge. The difference is a few smart swaps that load it up with protein and fiber, so one bowl is a real lunch instead of a scoop on the side of one.
And every swap makes it taste better too. Greek yogurt takes over most of the dressing, keeping it light and tangy while adding protein. Sugar snap peas stand in for celery, bringing more fiber, a little more protein, and a sweet crunch that stays crisp in the fridge for days. High-protein, high-fiber noodles round it out, so the base brings something to the table too.
Then I did one more thing. I added Old Bay to the dressing. Half a teaspoon. It is the seasoning everyone knows and loves with seafood, but almost nobody thinks to put it in tuna pasta salad. It gives the whole bowl this warm, savory depth that people will taste and not quite be able to place. It makes a simple dressing taste like something you fussed over.
Why This Works
Here is the case against celery. Cup for cup, sugar snap peas beat it on fiber, protein, and vitamin C, while celery is mostly water with a crunch. Celery also goes soggy by day two in the fridge, right when a pasta salad should be hitting its stride. Slice the snap peas thin on the bias and they catch the dressing, stay crisp, and look pretty all the way through the bowl.
The dressing carries a lot here. Greek yogurt does most of the creamy work with a little mayo for richness, so you get that cold picnic salad feeling with a fraction of the heaviness. Lemon juice and zest keep it bright, Dijon adds a little sharpness, and the Old Bay connects the dressing to the tuna the same way it does in a good crab salad.
And the base matters. The high-protein elbows mean this looks like the pasta salad from every summer cookout you have ever been to, but it eats like a real meal that keeps you full for hours.
Macro Snapshot
Per serving, approximate:
Around 27g protein
High in fiber from the noodles and snap peas
Omega-3s from wild albacore
Much lower in net carbs than a traditional pasta salad
Creamy Lemon Dill Tuna Pasta Salad Recipe
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the salad:
2 cups dry high-protein elbow noodles (I use Hero)
2 cans (5 oz each) albacore tuna, drained and flaked
1 cup sugar snap peas, trimmed and sliced thin on the bias
¼ cup red onion, finely diced
2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
For the dressing:
⅔ cup plain Greek yogurt
⅓ cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp Old Bay seasoning
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
Cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water so they stop cooking and stay firm. Let them cool completely.
In a large bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice, lemon zest, Dijon, Old Bay, salt, and pepper until smooth. Old Bay brings some salt of its own, so taste before adjusting.
Add the cooled noodles, tuna, snap peas, red onion, and dill. Fold gently until everything is coated.
Chill for at least 30 minutes. The dressing tightens in the fridge, so loosen it with a splash of lemon juice or water right before serving if you need to.
Thrive Tip
Protein-first eating does not mean giving up the foods you grew up with. It means rebuilding them so the tuna, the yogurt, and the noodles all work for you. Pair a bowl of this with an afternoon walk and you have covered your protein, your fiber, and your blood sugar in one easy lunch, without feeling like you gave anything up.
How to Serve It
Spooned into a chilled bowl straight from the fridge
Piled over arugula for extra greens
Scooped into half an avocado when you want it to look extra pretty
Make It Your Own
No Old Bay? A quarter teaspoon of celery seed in the dressing gives you all the classic celery flavor with none of the chopping or the watery crunch.
A chopped hard-boiled egg nudges the protein toward 30g and adds soft golden color.
Trade the dill for chives or parsley if that is what your fridge has.
For the most vivid green, blanch the snap peas for 30 seconds and shock them in ice water before slicing.
This is the pasta salad I will be making on repeat all summer, and I have a feeling it is about to become yours too.
If you make it, come tell me in the comments whether the Old Bay surprised you.
xo, Lolita