Punch Up Your Pasta Salad With This Seafood Pantry Staple

A big bowl of pasta salad is an easy, filling crowd-pleaser. Plus, since pasta is so mild in flavor, you can turn this dish into anything you want with the extra ingredients. Add a creamy dressing, or toss it in a vinaigrette; load it up with veggies, or pick your favorite protein. But if you're looking for an affordable way to give your pasta salad a boost in both flavor and nutrients, then you should try adding canned tuna into the mix.

Canned tuna is high in protein, plus omega-3s and important minerals like selenium and phosphorus. It's also salty, meaning it brings great flavor to anything it's added to, such as a green salad or pasta salad. A creamy base for the dressing imitates tuna salad, so the addition of tuna in this dish feels right at home. You can include more texture with ingredients that pair well with tuna, such as chopped celery, sliced red onion, or even chopped jalapeños.

There are two ways canned tuna is stored: in oil and in water. If you're looking for added flavor, then you might want to reach for the kind that comes in oil. As the tuna sits in the oil, it absorbs that rich flavor and fat, so, while it does take on a higher fat content than its watery counterpart, it also holds deeper flavor — this is perfect when tuna is a big part of the dish.

How much tuna you add to your pasta salad is up to you, but you can take this recipe up a notch by pairing the tuna with flavors that mimic typical tuna salad. A mayonnaise-based dressing enhances the dish with the tang and acidity from elements like relish, mustard, or red wine vinegar — they'll also help balance out the tuna's rich, salty flavor. For the best pasta salad, add half of the dressing when you make it, and then the other half just before serving. This allows the dish's flavors to marry together, but doesn't allow the pasta to absorb all of the dressing.