My Mama’s — Mama’s, Macaroni & Tuna Fish Salad

Growing up I remember my mom making macaroni and tuna fish salad. This was a seasonal dish in our house that was typically made on Good Friday, throughout the summer, and the last batch would be made for Labor Day weekend. This is the way her mother did it, and it’s the tradition she kept upon my grandmother’s passing. The mac and tuna salad (the nickname I gave it many years ago) is accompanied by salty plain potato chips. When I was younger I would use the potato chips as a substitute for silverware, scooping macaroni, vegetables, and tuna onto each chip.

For year’s we would dine out at a restaurant on mother’s day up until my freshmen year of high school. That’s when I decided that we should celebrate mother’s day at the beach: pack a picnic lunch and enjoy the sunshine together (since that’s what my mother loves to do). I would help pack the bags and coolers, but I always insisted my mother make her mama’s macaroni and tuna fish salad. To an extent, it always felt like my grandmother was at the beach with us in spirit – through her mac and tuna salad! To this day, when I make mac and tuna I think of my grandma and my own mama, bite by bite. Happy mother's day to all the mom's out there, with a big thank you and love you to mine! 

I shared this recipe on The Mommies: A Musical Blog, blog last week. Make sure you check out my guest blog post!

My Mama’s — Mama’s, Macaroni & Tuna Fish Salad

Source: Katie Original

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Serving: 8

Ingredients:

1 16oz. box elbow macaroni

1 can Solid White Albacore Tuna Fish

1/4 mayonnaise (or more if desired)

1/4 cup bell pepper, diced

1 rib of celery, diced

1-1/2 tsp dried onion flakes

1-1/2 tsp dried parsley flakes

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Boil elbow macaroni according to the box directions. Drain and rinse in cold water, set aside.

2. In a large storage container, add drained tuna fish, *mayonnaise, diced bell pepper, celery, onion flakes, parsley, salt and pepper and mix well.

3.  Then slowly add in cooked elbow macaroni mixing mayonnaise mixture until well incorporated. Once all the macaroni has been mixed together, place container in refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours.

4.  Serve cold with salty plain potato chips!

*I like my tuna salad a little on the dry side—if you’d like it wet add more mayonnaise!