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Salad

Tuna Vegetable Pasta Salad

A pasta salad with rotini, tuna, cucumbers, tomato, celery, green pepper, green onions, Italian dressing, mayonnaise, mustard, dill weed, salt, and pepper.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 13 ingredients
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Why it works: Cucumber and dill match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 530 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Tuna Vegetable Pasta Salad

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Prepare rotini according to package directions; drain.

  2. In a large bowl combine rotini, tuna, cucumbers, tomato, celery, green pepper, and onions.

Dress and chill

  1. In a small bowl blend Italian dressing, mayonnaise, mustard, and seasonings.

  2. Add to salad mixture; toss to coat. Cover and chill.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

418Calories
31 gProtein
20 gFat
29 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 11 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Salmon100g cooked208
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Bell Pepper1 medium (119g)31
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Cucumber1/2 cup sliced (52g)16
Celery1 stalk (40g)6
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Dill5 sprigs fresh (1g) / 1 tsp dried4
Mustard1 tsp (5g) yellow3
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Cucumber + dilltop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together530 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  2. Celery + mustardtop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,169 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

  3. Mustard + dilltop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together560 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  4. Celery + dilltop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together382 recipes

    Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).

  5. Cucumber + mustardtop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,281 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Rotini
Forms the bulk of the salad and holds the dressing in its ridges and surface.
Tuna
Adds savory, protein-rich body that makes the salad a main dish.
Italian dressing
Supplies oil and acid that moisten the pasta and carry the seasonings through the salad.
Mayonnaise
Adds fat and creaminess that give the dressing a smooth, rich coating.
Cucumbers
Contribute crisp texture and moisture that stay fresh during chilling.

The step that matters

Chill before serving. Chilling lets the dressing soak into the pasta and the flavors meld. Tossing and serving too soon leaves the pasta bland and the dressing pooled on the surface.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cucumber, tomato, celery, pepper, mustard, dill):

  1. Lettucefits better
  2. Horseradishfits better
  3. Broccolifits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against cucumber, tomato, celery, pepper, mustard, dill. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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