Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Peas and Pasta Salad with Tuna

Classic peas and pasta salad, made with tiny shell pasta and dressed with homemade buttermilk Ranch, spicy mustard, dill, red onion, cubed cheese, bacon and gently tossed with tuna fillets.
Classic peas and pasta salad, made with tiny shell pasta and dressed with homemade buttermilk Ranch, spicy mustard, dill, red onion, cubed cheese, bacon and gently tossed with tuna fillets.

Peas and Pasta Salad with Tuna

Okay y'all. I know everybody's in fall mode, sharing their favorite apple recipes, and pumpkin recipes won't be far behind - if they haven't started up already. Heck, we're only in the high 80s this week here in South Mississippi, so that's practically fall weather here, far as we are concerned. But... I'm gonna squeeze in at least one more "summer" recipe before the calendar tells me it's officially fall.

You can use whatever brand or kind of tuna you want with this recipe of course, or even no tuna at all, but I recently had the opportunity to try a few of the Gourmet Selects line of Starkist tuna fillets, and I thought they would be perfect for my peas and pasta salad.


Have you noticed over the years, that the standard tuna that everybody has been buying for years to make sandwiches and such with, has gotten more and more mushy? There's really nothing there to distinguish it as tuna anymore really, because it's all mush.

Well, look how beautiful this stuff is. If you haven't tried these yet, you should!


Besides the usual tuna in water and tuna in oil - extra virgin olive oil I might add - it comes as seasoned fillets as well, in a combination of EVOO and lemon dill or roasted garlic, all of them lending well to great recipe ideas. There are even low and very low sodium versions and they're widely available at Walmart and most local grocery markets. {hissy fit soapbox warning} Despite internet rumors, Starkist tuna is not farm raised in China, but is still wild caught, primarily from the Pacific Ocean and Western Atlantic fisheries, and while the parent company is now foreign, U.S. headquarters are still located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Please do your research before continuing to spread gossip! {done and done}

Since I'm adding my own dressing and seasonings, I'm using the basic light tuna in water version for this.


So funny that some people love peas and others hate them. Well, I'm a big fan of peas, so if you are too, this is a great pasta salad that's been around the block a few years. Truthfully, there's really not a lot of peas in this pasta salad anyway, for those of you who can either take them or leave them. I just love this and can eat on this dish for several days, and frankly, it's delicious with or without the tuna.

The full recipe, with measurements and a printable document, will be found past all of the step by step photos. Just scroll the page a bit to find that.

Here's how to make it.

Now, unlike say, a classic Tuna Macaroni Salad, this is what I'd consider to be a "pasta salad." Kissing cousins I suppose, but different from one another. I make my standard buttermilk Ranch dressing for this pasta salad, thinned with a little cider vinegar. It's always great if you have the time to make the dressing a day ahead, so all of the flavors can mingle and marry, but no worries if not. You'll still enjoy it. Whisk together salad ingredients adding enough vinegar to reach a thick, but pourable, consistency.


Cook up some bacon - drain and set aside till it cools, then chop it up. Don't you just love the aroma of bacon cooking? Love!


Prepare pasta al dente according to package directions; drain well, toss with the olive oil. This salad seems to call for the tiny shells if you ask me. Add the red onion. Or purple onion if that's what you prefer to call it. Blend in dressing.


Add Creole mustard, dill weed, Cajun seasoning, peas, cheese and bacon; gently toss.



Add Old Bay, lemon juice, and tuna gently toss, taste and add salt and pepper only as needed. You only want to give the salad a gentle toss to incorporate the tuna, but not break it up to much.


Serve immediately or refrigerate. Dig in!




Recipe: Peas and Pasta Salad with Tuna

©From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish
Prep time: 10 min |Cook time: 8 min | Yield: About 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

For the Dressing:
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • About 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon dried onion
  • 1/8 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
  • 1/8 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
For the Salad:
  • 1/2 pound small shell pasta (about 2 cups dry)
  • 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/4 cup minced red onion
  • 1 teaspoon Creole mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon dill weed
  • 1/2 teaspoon Creole or Cajun seasoning (like Slap Ya Mama) {affil link}, or to taste, optional
  • 1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
  • 1/2 cup cubed sharp cheddar cheese
  • 3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 1/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning {affil link}
  • Juice of one medium lemon
  • 1 (4.5 ounce) can tuna fillets, drained
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions

Whisk together salad ingredients adding only enough vinegar to reach a thick but pourable consistency. Prepare pasta al dente according to package directions; drain well, toss with olive oil. Add red onion and blend in dressing. Add mustard, dill weed, Cajun seasoning, peas, cheese and bacon; gently toss. Add Old Bay, lemon juice and gently fold in tuna; taste and add salt and pepper only as needed. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate.

Cook's Notes: Use any short cut pasta you like - trumpets, elbows, rotini, shells, even bowties will work. Make the salad dressing a day ahead if possible to allow the flavors to meld. May use regular milk instead of vinegar if you prefer and may also substitute 1-1/2 cups of your favorite commercial Ranch salad dressing. This makes a very good basic cold tuna noodle salad - simply omit the peas. May also omit tuna, Old Bay and lemon juice, for a basic pea and pasta salad, or substitute cooked shrimp, crab, ham or chicken if you prefer.

Requires Adobe Reader - download it free!
©Deep South Dish
Are you on Facebook? If you haven't already, come and join the party! We have a lot of fun & there's always room for one more at the table.

Check These Recipes Out Too Y'all!

Seafood Pasta Salad
Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
Classic Old Fashioned Macaroni Salad

Posted by on September 16, 2014
Images and Full Post Content including Recipe ©Deep South Dish. Recipes are offered for your own personal use only and while pinning and sharing links is welcomed and encouraged, please do not copy and paste post or recipe text to repost or republish elsewhere such as other Facebook pages, blogs, websites, or forums without explicit prior permission. All rights reserved.

Material Disclosure: Unless otherwise noted, you should assume that post links to the providers of goods and services mentioned, establish an affiliate relationship and/or other material connection and that I may be compensated when you purchase from a provider. You are never under any obligation to purchase anything when using my recipes and you should always perform due diligence before buying goods or services from anyone via the Internet or offline.
140827
.

As an Amazon Associate, Deep South Dish earns from qualifying purchases. See full disclosure for details.




Hey Y’all! Welcome to some good ole, down home southern cooking. Pull up a chair, grab some iced tea, and 'sit a bit' as we say down south. If this is your first time visiting Deep South Dish, you can sign up for FREE updates via EMAIL or you can catch up with us on Facebook and Twitter too!

Articles on this website are protected by copyright. You are free to print and sharing via Facebook share links and pinning with Pinterest are appreciated, welcomed and encouraged, but do not upload and repost photographs, or copy and paste post text or recipe text for republishing on Facebook, other websites, blogs, forums or other internet sites without explicit prior written approval.
Click for additional information.


© Copyright 2008-2024 – Mary Foreman – Deep South Dish LLC - All Rights Reserved

Material Disclosure: This site is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Unless otherwise noted, you should assume that post links to the providers of goods and services mentioned, establish an affiliate relationship and/or other material connection and that I may be compensated when you purchase from the provider. You are never under any obligation to purchase anything when using my recipes and you should always perform due diligence before buying goods or services from anyone via the Internet or offline.

DISCLAIMER: This is a recipe site intended for entertainment. By using this site and these recipes you agree that you do so at your own risk, that you are completely responsible for any liability associated with the use of any recipes obtained from this site, and that you fully and completely release Mary Foreman and Deep South Dish LLC and all parties associated with either entity, from any liability whatsoever from your use of this site and these recipes.

ALL CONTENT PROTECTED UNDER THE DIGITAL MILLENNIUM COPYRIGHT ACT. CONTENT THEFT, EITHER PRINT OR ELECTRONIC, IS A FEDERAL OFFENSE. Recipes may be printed ONLY for personal use and may not be transmitted, distributed, reposted, or published elsewhere, in print or by any electronic means. Seek explicit permission before using any content on this site, including partial excerpts, all of which require attribution linking back to specific posts on this site. I have, and will continue to act, on all violations.





Email Subscription DSD Feed