Clearly I’ve lost my mind.
For the life of me… I just can’t make a batch of cookies come out of my oven.
That’s not a euphemism . ย If it were… it would be a gross one.
I hope you can bear with me through this savory time.
I dunno. ย I just need spinach…. and tuna is pretty nice… and while we’re sitting around talking about nice things, I’d also really like a beer, nap and a fashionable pantsuit.
I’ve been such a regular in the grocery store ย produce section this week that the produce dude has started to flirt with me.
At least… I think that’s what he’s trying to do. ย I usually flash a shy smile and rush off to the butter section where I can be left alone.
Except… wait! ย Just two days ago some dude was trying to chat me up about butter (yea, right) while I was standing there spacing out. ย I space out a lot in the grocery store.
Maybe the egg section is safer for me. ย Maybe I should stop wearing lip gloss at the grocery store. ย Maybe I should wear more pantsuits.
Tuna Pasta Salad with Spinach and Radishes
makes four small servings
2 cups lightly packed spinach leaves
1/2 cup slices radishes
1/3 cup sliced green onions
1/3 cup sliced pickles ย (I used cornichones)
1 can tuna in water, drained
1 cup sliced sugar snap peas (you could also use blanched green beans or asparagus)
1 1/2 cup whole wheat elbow pasta, cooked
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 heaping teaspoon whole grain mustard
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar and black pepper. ย Set aside.
Cook up pasta, drain and rinse in cool water. ย Chop radishes, green onions, pickles and snap peas. ย Drain and crumble tuna.
This is totally easy, right?
Toss together the pasta, tuna, vegetables and sauce. ย Taste and add salt if necessary. ย This recipe is also delicious with small chunks of cheddar cheese.
When ready to serve, toss the spinach into the pasta salad and enjoy…. do it.
124 Responses
I bumped into this recipe more than 10 years ago and have been loving it ever since. Itโs the perfect lunch recipe year round. Sometimes I add a few cheddar cubes, sometimes I donโt – either way itโs a delicious and comforting standby. Just wanted to say!
This is seriously one of my all time favourite meals to make for lunch! I’ve made it countless times now — so simple and easy. Thanks Joy :)
This is very good! Husband and I both enjoyed it for dinner last night. I added an avocado and doubled the recipe so we’d have leftovers for lunch today. Excellent.
This is F-ing DELICIOUS. I love tuna pasta but have never made it like this. I don’t think I’ll want to make it any other way. I’m also going to use radishes way more now!
Love healthy so I will try this spinach sounds great!! Love radishes by the way!
Hi.
Your recipe looked delish but… It’s so hot (100+ degrees) where I am that no one leaves their house right now. :P
So I used your recipe as inspiration and used the ingredients I already had in my frig.
I used fingerling potatoes, snow peas, asparagus, radishes, grain mustard, lemonnaise, sea salt, pepper, paprika, chili powder, & dulse.
I know its different from your recipe but it turned out great. My boyfriend won’t stop eating it.
PS: I made your vegan mango bread last week and I’m please to say we ate it up as fast as we could. Yum! Love your blog!
I made this last night and it was AMAZING!!! My boyfriend and roommate inhaled theirs, pausing only to compliment me after each bite =)
I didn’t have all the ingredients on hand so I subbed horseradish for the mustard and whole-wheat rotini for the macaroni. I also finely diced the radishes because the b/f doesn’t care much for them.
This was a PERFECT summer meal and will definitely be in heavy rotation here in the DC heat! Thanks!
I didn’t have pasta on hand so I made it with brown rice instead. It tastes so well this time of the year. Thanks for the inspiration!
I made this for lunch yesterday and today – I used buckwheat pasta though cos I’m gluten free (annoyingly!) ITS SO TASTY!! x
This is a beautiful dish. I love using tuna in many different ways and I will be making this soon!
I just made this with grilled chicken instead of tuna. It was so good!
Hi Joy,
I made this salad yesterday, It’s great!
I don’t think I ever had uncooked spinach before and it tastes great, so crunchy!
thanks for a simple and healthy dinner :)
I made this with canned chicken instead of tuna and it was awesome!!!
Thanks for sharing the recipe with us. :) Your photo of the dish seduced me into making it for a potluck at church.
Lyndi
made this for lunch today changed out the radish for tomato and I LOVE it:) what a delicious lunch… I have tuna regularly but never with veggies before… it was really a great way to sneak them in. You are the best Joy… I just love your work:)
I’m 13, and I love anything and everything to do with food (and sports and animals). Julie and Julia is on and I’m reading your blog. Food is everywhere. I’m in heaven. I think this recipe looks AWESOME!!! so does your matcha green tea malted milkshake…. need to take mom to the store!:p
I like radish, tuna, but spinach? I’ll try to see if I will start to eat spinach.
Just finished ever savory bite of this salad it was incredible I will never get sick of it. Thank you so much for sharing all your great recipes with us!!
This reminds me of my mom. Thanks.
I made this over the weekend and it was delicious and the colors were beautiful. The perfect pick me up for a rainy weekend. :)
Fantastic-this is so Good!
Please just keep the savory food recipes coming.
I am loving the change of pace to savory foods, Joy! It looks like you’re enjoying being versatile in the kitchen.
Don’t wear a pantsuit–go for the lip gloss and the produce dude–well if he’s cute. Love your blogs–I am addicted.
Wowza! That pasta salad looks delish!
Thanks for sharing,
Jess : )
Wow! I love your idea of shopping and sandwich. Yummy. Alas I have started into the butter and cream cheese big time! I know you will jump back on…come I hear you coming!
You salad looks amazing. I have been making my husband many many salads over the last few days to help him with his weight. I have not made any with pasta that is a great idea. I did make one the other day that I think you will love. Check it out. https://ashandlewplus2.com/2011/01/09/good-eats/
Have a great day
Ashlee
This is so not the kind of thing I would normally want to eat, but I’m sold! Going to make it this week. I’m also super keen to make your vegetarian chilli – beer and bbq sauce! Why haven’t I thought of that earlier! Very glad to discover your blog.
Love this salad! And you know, as much as I love your cookies (um, I mean that literally, not trying to flirt — though you do look cute in that pantsuit and lipgloss!), sometimes a little savory something is just perfect. :)
Hi Joy,
I cracked myself imagening you running on to the butter section and then looking around to see if you whore alone and that boy was there… then runned out to the egg section to some peace and quiet! That boy is a spy Joy,… lol lol…
Just kidding… About this wonderfull salad, everithing is gorgeus and i would immediatly take a bitte on it…
Kisses,
Rita
I’m ok with your savory phase…with recipes like this one who wouldn’t be
I MADE THIS ON MONDAY NIGHT!!!!
It turned out SO SO SOOOO good! Thanks Joy! :D
A.Co @ A.Co est. 1984
Well I personally miss your baked goods—but I get the whole needing a change thing. But I hope your cravings for baked goods hits again soon— How about some cake or bar recipes?
I wish I liked tuna in pasta but for some reason it freaks me out– but if i did I would def. try your very pretty recipe!
I can’t help you out with the pantsuit. But I can definitely hook up the beer.
Thank you for using elbow pasta. It makes me yearn for the days of plate lunches in Kauai 3 weeks ago.
Just lovely. I go through distinct savory phases, too. Sometimes you just have to keep it real with salt.
And the safest section of the GroSto is always seafood. It smells too weird for flirting.
I’m not a fan of tuna but that actually looks really good! :) And if you can find a fashionable pantsuit please let me know.
Ms. Joy you crack me up, love reading your blog…oh by the way if you haven’t seen the infocommercial you can get pajamajeans which are looking pretty dapper on the fashionable pantsuit lol!!
i’m SO getting a pair of pajama jeans.
Joy, I am loving all of the savory recipes!
This tuna salad looks superb!
Spinach and radish sound like amazing additions, yummm
i wish i could get as hooked to writing in my blog as i can to yours. well! im currently on a salad binge, so thanks for that!
I know the feeling. I have totally lost my porridge-mojo. I used to make the best semolina-porridge in the world, every time I ate it, i was thinking: ok, I am done food-blogging, cause there is only one recipe in the world: this semolina-porridge. But recently something happened: I make the porridge, and something goes wrong, it just doesn’t taste right. I hope you will find your cookie-mojo again and I will find my porridge-mojo back.
So I just read over this and had to laugh. I hope you have found your porridge-mojo once again! I was a nanny for two Russian girls this last summer and fell in LOVE with porridge. Could I possibly get a copy of your porridge recipe…maybe?
omg this looks soooo yummy. love u joy thanks for sharing!
Yum – and……………. Ta Heaps – for making me laugh! You are quite wonderful! M
I got hit on in the cereal aisle today. Is no place safe? Anyway love your blog- photos, recipes and writing!
i think you should post some savory vegetarian/vegan recipes! id appreciate it
You’re making me crave savory foods. This pasta salad looks so good!
Its perfectly fine that guys are flirting with you in the grocery store. Find a man with as much a love for food as you have!
Last week, while in the produce section pondering a very sad bunch of chives in my hand, a man standing next to me sternly told me “Oh don’t you buy that.” I looked at him and he said “This is what we do when we face challenges in the kitchen: We do NOT buy inferior produce. Take those green onions instead – they’ll work fine.”
Needless to say, I put the chives back and took the green onions. They made delicious cheddar, rosemary, green onion biscuits. :)
Love this story =)
I gotta get myself to SoCal so I can have such pretty produce in JANUARY.
Geez, Joy. I don’t blame you for not baking cookies.
I personally love the variety of recipes you’ve been laying on us lately. There’s a time for chocolate chip cookies and there’s a time for tuna pasta salad…and there IS a time to dance! (sorry, I was channeling Footloose for a moment there.)
This is an awesome recipe!! :) Lovely story and pictures!!
Wow! Such beautiful pictures! I love the shots of the radishes and green onions. Before you know it a cookie craving will hit and you will have more cookies than you know what to do with…if such a thing is possible.
I could use some healthy pasta salad myself. Love the spinach in it. Will have to give it a try.
I recently stumbled upon your blog approximately 2 weeks ago and I am HOOKED! So far I have experimented with your 10 favorite breads, wrestled with your “perfect chocolate chip cookie”, forced my three children to drink your Kale & Spinach smoothie, and hosted a football gathering with your DELICIOUS vegetarian chili! My husband thinks I need to get a job, but all I truly need is more time to look at your recipes!! Thanks for sharing and I can’t wait to try this salad!
love this comment!
Happened to have everything I needed at home and just made this. Omg I’m in love.
Gave me a chance to open my whole grain mustard and try it. I’m in love!
Kat
Savory recipes are good for me! My mom went on a diet and now she won’t let me cook anything with sugar or white flour in it.
Lol! that is funny about the produce guy and the butter section. Thanks for making me laugh. The pasta salad looks yummy! I am going to try it out with some rice pasta. Have a wonderful and beautiful day :)
When produce and tuna turns out this beautiful you do not need to apologize for it not being cookies. This looks fantastic. So bright and vibrant. I guess there’s nothing more attractive than a girl who knows what she wants in the produce or butter section of the grocery store :)
I don’t care if this isn’t your normal type of post at all. It looks great! Nice and healthy which is perfect for the New Year diet goal ;) Thanks!
I totally support your recent foray into the vegetable aisle. Lately all I’ve wanted to eat is red cabbage, roasted chicken, and root vegetables: comfort food for January in Minnesota.
i have been in a savory stage myself.
No… cookies??? You shan’t do this! You should make some ridiculously named cookies. I think sometime I saw one with “strippers” in the title. That’s almost as weird as the Child Molester burger. (If you watched Bob’s Burgers last night, the restaurant’s special was the Child Molester, a burger that came with candy.)
… Joy, that’s life. When you want something to happen (boy), it never happens, but then when you don’t want it (again, boy), it happens. I’m in such a dilemma right now that it’s making the start of 2011 very confusing! (Are you still with your boy? If not, maybe you should give Produce Boy a shot ;D)
Thanks for the lovely tuna recipe. I’ve been sick for the last 2 weeks, and I’ve had no energy but to turn to my canned tuna (and making honey mustard tuna sandwiches). I have no other veggies in my fridge, but I will try to throw an apple into the tuna salad. Thanks and all the best in 2011.
Honestly, funniest thing you have ever said, on this blog. Cookies coming out of your oven. I’m terrified. Loves it.
The grocery store is totally relaxing, I space out in the produce section all the time. I live in an area with lots of old people so nobody seems to notice. Pretty cool, yes.
I have kind of an off-topic question: do you think there is merit is going to culinary school (well, baking school) for someone who wants to go in to that field, or is it better to just dive in and learn along the way?
The CSA we belong to has the most amazing radishes, and so many of them (for so many months) that I’ve actually started collecting radish recipes. Thanks for a good one! I’m filing it under radishes and potluck. Oh, and enjoy your spacing out days! Once you have kids, grocery shopping becomes… well, a less meditative experience.
Joy, I have to admit…. Sure, I came for the sweets, but I’m sticking around for the savory.
I love the savory recipes you post.
I also love love love when you use whole wheat flour in your recipes. I’m dating a health nut right now and he’s always sooo impressed when I don’t use all purpose.
You rock! :)
I have that same problem at Blockbuster.
I used to call ahead and see who was working so as to avoid it (I’m good at recognizing voices).
I am thankful that’s not the case for the grocery store or I’d be starving. :)
Love tuna salad…especially with beer, pickles and a nap!
Joy,
I love that you are doing savory dishes as well as baking! I hope you do more!!
Oh my God! It looks delicious. I love pasta, tuna and vegetables. I love all the ingredients.
Well done.
Oohhh… I can’t wait to make this and take it to work for my lunch and stink up the place with tuna!
What a tasty twist on a classic! and gorgeous pics as usual…
You had me until radishes. I just can’t get into radishes. I know, I’m weird. Everyone thinks so. I’m ok with that. Otherwise, the dish sounds delish. I want to make some right now.
Looks totally delish! :) I always need spinach, and it’s funny, last night I also had tuna and spinach. Not a pasta though. I had a broiled tuna fillet with creamed spinach, and it was wonderful. I’m sure you would love it.
As far as the butter section in the store, I love it too. I keep drooling over the goat butter which I really want to try, but it’s just so expensive. I keep hoping they’ll put it on sale.
Anyway, I’m not missing sweet recipes from you. You just keep followin’ your heart, listenin’ to your tummy, and hangin’ out in the produce section. :) It’s the best part of the store! :)
i know i’ve said this before, but you are one of my favorite riders! the way you write your posts and such…great material, joy!
keep writing!
Sarah-Anne
Oh produce men. That’s happened to me before and I did the same – shy smile and flee to the dairy section. :)
On a side note – the pasta salad looks fantastic!
This looks so delicious, Joy! Great flavor combinations. Thanks for sharing this dynamite recipe, and the funny tid-bit about your grocery store admirer ;)
If it’s cookies you’re having an issue with, I saw a recipe over at the Tasty Kitchen blog for Oreo Cheesecake cookies…I think that might cure your issue with cookies! :)
I love the combination of veggies that you used – radishes and snap peas are two of my favorites! Yum. This sounds and looks delicious.
This looks really darn tasty. And don’t you think radishes are the prettiest? I mean, what other vegetable is out there, chillin’ in majenta?
P.S. Somehow I’m not burnt out on sweets from the holidays. It’s troublesome.
True story, I used to ONLY eat tuna noodle pasta salad for lunches. I would make a huge bowl and I take it for lunch everyday :) This recipe looks delicious, I may have to bring back my obsession (only not everyday)…thanks Joy!
I love everything except tuna, I would use shredded chicken and it would be fabulous for my taste. Great combo of everything. PS- have you ever had roasted radishes? I discovered those recently and they are amazing! I have a few recipes on my diet blog…they get rave reveiws!
I love the savory! It gives me something to make for supper tonight, because I’m currently on quite the supper slump. Thanks, Joy!
I’m with you on the tuna salad! I made a tuna melt on cibatta yesterday, with lots of melted provolone. It was delish!
I, for one, am STILL burnt out on sweets after the holidays. My waistline greatly appreciates your savory dishes!
Your non-euphemism was one of the best I’ve heard in a while! Thanks for the gut-buster in the middle of a mediocre Monday work morning. Also, how does one make her entres into eating radishes? I’m sort of terrified, and I don’t really like salads. Help please!
my mom used to make this for us all the time when we were kids. sometimes she used chicken or added boiled eggs. yum!
This sounds devine! I have lost my interest in Tuna (unless it comes wrapped in rice and nori) due to a few too many tuna sandiwches growing up over the years. And casserole tuna just could not cut it with a high distaste for casserole. This however sounds lovely!!
I think it might be a lunch for the office this week!
Accompanied of course by a travel tooth bursh and paste. ; )
It is unusual to see you making savory things, but I’m definitely enjoying your little hiatus. This pasta salad looks delicious as well!
my friend and i have a theory that you’re saving all the best baking recipes for your book! confirm or deny?!
I adore radishes, tuna, and spinach. A radish sandwich on white bread with good mayonnaise is about my favorite food ever. Weird? Yeah….
love,
cathy b.
You just gotta go with your tuna cravings!
I was wondering about the shift towards the savory side of life. No complaints here though, it’s making my detox week slightlyyy easier. I’m getting to the point where salad and soup looks like a more appealing lunch than sugar and butter. Now, a good tuna past salad is looking right up my alley right about now.
PS just accept the grocery store thing, it happens when you’re a fox. I’ve always imagined meating my Mr. Perfect over some sort of food encounter…yours might happen to be selecting radishes.
wow – sounds like a great plan for my lunch right about now!!
That first picture looks more delicious than life. I’m kinda craving it an inappropriate amount. I hear ya’, Joy… sometimes a girl wants spinach and pasta.
Oooh this looks like one of those fancy on the outside simple on the inside type recipes that are not only delicious but perfect as a prop to describe yourself in a facebook survey. ” You know I think of myself as a tuna pasta salad…. but with spinach and radishes ifyaknowwhatImean….”
When I was a kid I was weird and LOVED tuna salad. Well, tuna anything actually. Now I’m not a huge fan (since I used to eat so much) but am willing to make something tuna again. Here it goes!!
Hey joy, how much was your Rebel Canon Xsi?
:)
I have one and I got mine bundled (with a camera bag and 2 GB memory card) for about $500. :)
i can’t say i’ve ever tried tuna salad…i think i need to start!
lol at Michelle. No guy is going to follow girls in there.
Love the ingredients in these, when I was little and grew up on a hobby farm, I used to eat radishes just dug up and brushed off a bit. I was a hippy kid I guess! This looks spicy and creamy which is an excellent combo IMO.
Go to the baby aisle. Nobody will mess with you there.
And eat lots of tuna before you go. And breath big open mouthed breaths.
That should do ya.
and the photos are gorgeous!
Maybe this guy knows your blog and your love for butter!
Well this dish is pretty nice, spinach and tuna, that’s a good combination.
I’m at the grocery so often that I’m sure all the workers know me there! I think it’s a bit therapeutic to stand in the aisles and space out.
Oh, WHOA! This was sooooo good – even though I had to use regular elbow pasta, not the whole wheat… and I couldn’t get fresh asparagus or green beans. I used some frozen green beans. But the pickles and radish and mustard really kicked this TERRIFIC recipe outta the park!! Joy, you are so amazing! This was sooo good! Thank you!
I see nothing wrong with a little flirting in the supermarket :-)
If for nothing else, it can give you a nice little ego boost (which we could all use every once in a while…)!
I find the tampon section of the grocery store is safest place to hide. Tuna and pasta can never be wrong.
Michelle… and Nicki Woo, too, (below)… you gals both made me laugh!
Joy… this looks fantastic… especially when all of the ingredients are growing in the garden… a place where you can get your produce without anyone trying to chat you up.
That’s awesome…I needed that laugh!
Hilarious, Kristine. Mostly because it is true. :)
It is unusual that Joy the Baker is whipping up tuna pasta salad, but it looks absolutely delicious nonetheless! :)
Even the best of us go through cookie baking slumps every once in a while.