Yummy-Yummy Tuna Casserole Salad

The first time I made my tuna casserole salad was right after Christmas 2012.  My sister, Monica, had just come out of the hospital after delivering Thea, her daughter.  My other sister, Laurie, was pregnant.  The red onion that I put in the recipe is full of potassium and carbohydrates.  The nutrients that are in this tuna casserole salad are the same that many women have deficiencies in.  Both girls attacked this salad.  They kept asking me, "What's in it?  How did you make it?  This is really good!"  It's a really simple salad.  It's full of nutrients.  It's quick and easy and has a lot of flavor.

If ever in need for a good picnic recipe, Lissa's Yummy-Yummy Tuna Casserole Salad is the best.  In this recipe, I am going to make smaller portions.  My daughter, Nicole, usually won't eat anything with veggies in it so I made this mostly for myself (selfish I know).  That means more for me. This recipe makes about 2 servings.  To be spot on with a picnic of a large group, double, triple and quadruple the recipe.  It's a crowd pleaser and is very addictive.  Save and share some of this tuna casserole salad in a container and refrigerate for the next day.  

Lissa's Yummy-Yummy Tuna Casserole Salad

5 cups Water
1 cup Elbow Pasta
1 can (4 oz.) Chunk White Albacore Tuna in Water
1/2 cup finely sliced Celery
1/4 cup diced Red Onion
1/2 cup of sliced Black Olives
3 Tbsp Olive Oil Mayo
Fresh Ground Pepper to taste

First, I count up 5 cups of water and pour them into a pan on HIGH heat.  Boil the water before you add the elbow pasta.  It's important to boil the water first so that the pasta does not get saturated in water and become soggy.  Once the water in the pan is warm enough, I add the pasta.  I changed the heat to Medium High heat just enough to keep the water and elbow pasta at a simmer.

I added a teaspoon of salt to my pasta to keep the elbow pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

I peeled the outside of the red onion.  Isn't it beautiful?

I used a paring knife to cut off both ends of the celery, and then sliced the celery extra thin.

I am still preparing my ingredients.  I opened the Albacore and strained it.  I opened the sliced black olives and strained them.  I sliced up the celery.  I used a chopping knife to cut the red onion in half.  I had to share.  I love the textures and colors of the red onion.

I strained the elbow pasta.  I left a small amount of water in the bottom.  The water in the pasta makes for a good adhesive, and will help blend the flavors of the ingredients with the pasta.  Leave a little of the boiled water in the bowl.

Here is an onion cutting trick.  I used the chopping knife to quarter the red onion.  After the onion was chopped into chunks, I used the paring knife to get those perfect finely diced red onion squares.  It might take a little longer to cut it, but it makes a more even cut, and is safer than cutting your hands with a chopping knife.  I recommend the paring knife for dicing red onion.

I let the elbow pasta cool for about 10 minutes.  After the pasta was cooled down, I added the white Albacore over the top.

Next, I used half of a cup of celery.  The celery kept disappearing because I kept eating it.  Yes, it was that good.

I only used 1/4 cup of red onion.  A whole cup or half a cup would have been too much.  Red onions are very flavorful so I used them more sparingly.

This is the yummy part, I added half of a cup of sliced black olives. 

I stirred all of the ingredients together and added freshly ground black pepper.  This was the end result.

The truth about Lissa's Yummy-Yummy Tuna Casserole Salad is that the name of the salad was invented by my daughter, Nicole.  She thought it looked yummy.  She won't eat it though.  I had a bowl full, and it was very delicious.  I had been craving this for about three days, and I kept putting off making it.  One day, I had enough.  I got up and made this dish.  My family and I have been making tuna casserole forever, and this is the most popular recipe.  It is the absolute best.  I hope you will try it.

Thank you for reading.  I hope to share more recipes with you soon. 
Love,
Lissa