What’s Inside: A lazy gluten-free weeknight meal or simple meal prep dish that will please a crowd! Whether you’re whipping this out for a no-cook lunch or making it for a BBQ Potluck… this versatile Mediterranean tuna pasta salad dish is flavorful and flexible. It’s Paleo and AIP-friendly, too.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “This was so flavorful and easy to put together. The leftovers really lasted me for a good meal prep option, too.” – TY
I love tuna. I grew up eating tuna in so many dishes from sandwiches and salads to casseroles. Now that I’m way more aware of making healthy food choices, it still plays a big role in my diet, just in a bit of a different way. While I don’t do the Wonder bread sandwiches anymore, I am a massive fan of salads, and this Mediterranean tuna pasta salad recipe is one of my favorite tuna recipes ever!
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Tuna pasta salad is so delicious, it’s like tuna and pasta were made for each other. And I hear you – you’re recommending pasta?! But the Cassava Pasta I’m using is so delicious while also being free from grains, gluten, and legumes amongst other things. And if gluten-free brown rice pasta works well for you, its a great option too! This dish makes busy weeknight mealtimes a treat, and is a great pantry staple to have for making crowd-pleasing dishes for BBQ potlucks! Paired with flavorful and meaty tuna and my homemade lemony dressing, this dish is creamy and delightfully fresh.
Tuna is full of Omega 3 fatty acids which help with hormones, blood sugar regulation, and are also vital to supporting health down to the cellular level. Some of my other favorite sources of fatty acids are:
I recommend eating tuna or another fatty fish once a week, but when sourcing tuna be sure to check out the mercury level. Mercury is a major concern for people like me who have Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, since it directly affects the thyroid’s capacity to absorb iodine (a key mineral to the thyroid) as well as hormone conversion (and no one wants that)!! Heavy metals in general are a big factor to the growth of Autoimmune Diseases and other ailments these days, and while we can’t eliminate all toxins from our lives, we can do our best to limit them.
Caring about our own health and the welfare of our world means that we have to be selective about the brands we support and do our research to find out which ones are good. I have found that Skipjack and Tongol are the best types of tuna for low mercury levels, and Safe Catch is a great company that guarantees to have the lowest levels of mercury of any brand!
If you’re on the tuna train with me, then you’ll need to check out this Nicoise Salad (Whole 30, Paleo, & AIP-friendly) because it’s packed with healthy protein, omega-3s, and rich fats, and is ready in just 30 minutes. Similarly, my other Lemony Tuna Pasta (AIP, Paleo, & Low Carb) recipe is a 10-minute pantry miracle and makes for a great option for a filling lunch on the go or an easy weeknight dinner.
tip! If you can tolerate adding some chickpeas or green peas (which are not Paleo or AIP) to this recipe, then they'll provide even more fiber to this already healthy and delicious meal!
You can put just about anything in your tuna pasta, it’s such a versatile dish. Vegetables like cucumber, broccoli, scallions, mushrooms and onions would all taste great with tuna pasta. Apples also go well with tuna, as do raisins and dried, unsweetened, cranberries. These additions are all AIP compliant and will bring more texture to the dish as well.
This Mediterranean tuna pasta salad is great on it’s own, but you can also enjoy it with a side of your favorite vegetables. Try serving this with my Warm Green Bean Salad with Bacon for a fuller meal, or these Jammy Boiled Eggs for added protein!
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2 comments
This was so flavorful and easy to put together. The leftovers really lasted me for a good meal prep option, too.
Oh yes that’s the best part and it gets even tastier in the fridge 🙂 So happy you like!