Hey guys, the weather is going to be a scorcher this weekend and I wanted to share a quick recipe courtesy of my mama that fills you up and cools you down at the same time. This dish screams my childhood and it’s easy to make a big batch that keeps well (and maybe even gets better) in the fridge over the course of a few days.
What You Need
- Box of small shell pasta (you could use any pasta really)
- 1 large can of solid white tuna in water, drained well
- 1 cup of peas – fresh or frozen both work, just not canned
- 1/2 an onion minced finely
- 2 stalks of celery chopped small
- Approximately 1.5 cups of mayonnaise (we used the kind made with olive oil)
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp chopped dill
- S & P to taste
Cook the pasta per box instructions to al dente, rinse and drain (allow to cool). Meanwhile mix the mayonnaise, vinegar (I didn’t have any red wine vinegar so I used apple cider instead), dill, salt and pepper and set aside. I had to taste this a couple of times and adjust the amounts a little bit due to the different type of vinegar but the measurements are pretty spot on. If it’s too acidic for you, try adding a little water and thinning it out a bit.
Toss the chunked tuna, celery and onion together, add the sauce and combine thoroughly. Tip: I don’t love raw onion, so I opted to use my microplane to grate the onion into more of a paste – getting the flavor without the actual chunks. Lastly, add the peas and the shells and toss together. I tasted for seasoning and ended up adding a bit more S&P at the end, which is all your preference. Chill in the fridge until you’re ready to dig in.
This is the perfect side dish for a barbecue or can be eaten alone as the main course. We used fresh dill from our herb garden and the flavors were amazing! Our dill is completely out of control by the way, no wonder it’s called dill weed – it grows like one!
Thanks mom for this fantastic recipe – it’s become a summer staple for us all! Have a fun weekend and enjoy welcoming the warm summer to the north!
Staying Martha 