Hearty Tuna Salad

 There are friends who come in and out of your life throughout the years and one of those friends for me is Molly.   She helped me during a hard time in my life and we have been somehow attached ever since.

I lost touch with her for awhile, but in the last five years we have reconnected and our conversations started up as though we'd seen each other just yesterday instead of fifteen years ago!

Besides the friendship, one of the things she gave me is one of my now favorite recipes for this Hearty Tuna Salad.

It really does have tuna in it which, even though mentioned in the name of the salad, is actually not the most noticeable ingredient!

There are tons of crunchy little vegetables and stuff in it.  Onions, celery, chow mein noodles, water chestnuts and pecans (or almonds) and you can even count the frozen peas as part of that wonderful texture.

All that good stuff, plus tuna, is in a creamy mayonnaise/soy sauce/lemon juice dressing. The ingredients come together and make the perfect tuna salad.

Sometimes I change up the ingredients a little if I don't have everything on hand, but the original recipe is the best. I could eat this Hearty Tuna Salad every day.

I'll always think of Molly when I make this tuna salad. Unfortunately, we lost her in 2020, but she made a delightful impression on everyone she left behind.

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Hearty Tuna Salad

Yield: 4 -6

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Tasty tuna salad full of vegetables and crunchy stuff.

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Ingredients

• 2 (6 oz.) cans Tuna
• 1 (10 oz.) package frozen peas, unthawed
• ½ medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup thinly sliced celery
• ½ cup water chestnuts, sliced
• 1 cup canned chow mein noodles
• ¾ cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 cup toasted, sliced almonds (or chopped pecans)
• Iceberg Lettuce leaves

Instructions

1. Drain tuna and break into pieces. Spoon into a medium bowl.
2. Stir in frozen peas, onion, celery, and water chestnuts.
3. Combine mayonnaise, lemon juice, and soy sauce in a separate bowl.
4. Just before serving, add mayonnaise mixture and toss lightly.  Stir in the chow mein noodles and serve immediately so the noodles don't get soggy.
5. Serve on lettuce cups or on a single plate with lettuce and sprinkle almonds on top.

Notes

Tips and Stuff:

Make sure the peas are frozen - that gives it a nice extra crunch.

I use only about ¼ of a chopped onion and that's enough, but if you like more feel free to use the entire onion.  Don't complain to me when you have onion breath.

Use canned whole water chestnuts and slice them yourself - it's way cheaper.

Best when the tuna mixture (without the noodles) is refrigerated a couple of hours before serving (then put in the noodles just before serving).

My photos show pecans instead of almonds and its good that way, too.  We still have a ton of pecans from the fall crop!  I think almonds are a little better on it, though.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 serving
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 380Total Fat: 31gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 26gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 372mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 4gSugar: 3gProtein: 10g

Nutrition Values are Approximate