Its officially summer in Minnesota!
I know this, because it is humid as sin outside and there’s mosquitoes everywhere!
Oh, you thought the summer solstice is what signals the beginning of summer? Maybe in a land without 10,000 lakes to attract 100,000 mosquitoes!
But, the beginning of summer to me means its salad season! I don’t mean lettuce salad…. I mean chicken salad, tuna salad, potato salad, pasta salad. ALL THE SALAD! Get ready for lots of summer salads coming your way on A Simple Dish over the next couple of months!
I absolutely love being able to pull a container out of the fridge and take it with me to work, without having to worry about microwaving it. I love a lunch that has lots of food groups in one container. It is easy, and non-complicated which is, after all, what this blog is all about!
If you are one of those people that cringes at the sound (or smell) of the word tuna – I get it, no judgement…. Rest assured, you can easily sub some chopped or shredded chicken into this recipe and it would still be equally delicious. All because of the pickle relish. The pickle relish is the (not-so) secret ingredient. If you are not including pickle relish (or chipped up pickles) in your tuna salads, you are missing out on true yum!
Disclaimer: there really is no way to photograph tuna salad that makes it look delicious. You will just have to trust me on this one….
Tuna Salad with Shells
Ingredients
4 cans tuna, drained
2 cups mayonnaise
½ cup sweet pickle relish
1 tbs spicy mustard
1 tbs yellow mustard
½ large red onion, diced
4 stalks celery, diced
8oz medium shell pasta
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
Directions
- In a medium saucepan, prepare the shell pasta per the instructions on the package. Drain, set aside to let cool.
- In a large bowl, add all ingredients (including the pasta) and mix well.
- Eat and enjoy every bite
I mean, c’mon…. how easy was that?
Tip: eat within 2-3 days. – tuna and celery have high water content, so this salad will get watery.
Thanks for reading, and eating!