Tuna Pasta Salad

A lady I worked with many years ago served this salad at an office luncheon. We all loved its savory flavor. Made with common ingredients, you might not have to make a special trip to the grocery store for this one.

Dressing

• 1 small can of oil-packed tuna
• 1/4 cup dill pickle juice from pickle jar
• 1 cup mayonnaise

Salad

• 1 6-8 oz. package small macaroni or penne, cooked al dente
• 1 dill pickle, chopped finely
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced thinly (use part of the green tops, too)
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 small can chopped or sliced olives
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• salad greens (optional)

Directions
In a large bowl, combine tuna, oil from tuna can, pickle juice and mayonnaise. Fold in salad ingredients. Add pasta. Chill and serve alone or over salad greens.

Notes
The oil from the tuna helps flavor the salad. Oil-packed tuna blends more easily with the mayonnaise, leaving only the pickle juice as water based. If you use water-packed tuna, the water in the tuna is likely to cause the salad dressing to separate, although it is still tasty. Don't add salt until you have tasted it! You might find that the tuna, dill pickle and pickle juice provide all the saltiness you need. Add only about 3/4 of the pasta until you see how well your pasta is covered by the dressing, adding more pasta as desired.