Daniel East's Over-The-Top Tuna Pasta Salad

I've shared recipes of Dan's before, (see The Soup and Daniel East's Classic Turkey Noodle Soup)  but this one takes the cake, I didn't have ONE child who didn't love this - me, too!

While I was putting it together I kept thinking, "This is too much ... this isn't enough" but I kept going and had watchful little eyes all the while; my 8 year-old was on the edge of her seat to try this. She would glance at the clock and back at me and then say, "It's not lunchtime, can we eat this when it's done?" Adorable.

Daniel East's Over-The-Top Tuna Pasta Salad 

Regardless of what I thought when assembling it, this was absolutely perfect. The heat from the black pepper was there, but not too much, the dressing was divine and the garnish exactly right. Everyone who tried it fell in love. Give this a try and see what you think!

Daniel East's Over-The-Top Tuna Pasta Salad 

Yes, there are a lot of ingredients, but most are commonly found and help make this look as good as it tastes. 

Ingredients

1-  16oz box rotini pasta (regular or wheat)

2-  4.5oz cans of premium white tuna in water

Dressing: 

1 c Hellman's mayonnaise

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp lime juice (fresh or bottled)

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp paprika 

1 tbsp ground black pepper 

1 tsp sea salt or Kosher salt 

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Garnish:

¼ c sliced toasted unsalted almonds

¼ c diced red onion

¼ c shredded carrots

¼ c chopped yellow bell pepper

½ c shredded/chopped fresh baby spinach 

¼ c diced ripe tomato

¼ c chopped broccoli 

1 tsp chopped oregano (1/2 tsp dry OK too)

1 c shredded Monterey Jack cheese

½ c shaved Parmesan cheese (fresh preferred but grated is OK too)

Directions

Cook, drain and cool the pasta. Set aside.

Drain the tuna and break apart with a fork; then, add to pasta.

Add garnishes to pasta and toss to incorporate.
Combine mayonnaise, olive oil, Worcestershire, lime juice, and dry spices in a small bowl. Blend well.

Pour dressing over all and toss gently until evenly distributed.

Chill for 20-30 min and serve. 

Enjoy!

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©2015 Daniel M. East. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission.