As a child, my all-time favorite restaurant was Fresh Choice. It’s probably not a coincidence, either, that my favorite restaurant was the one and only buffet-style restaurant we frequented. Let me assure you, my parents were getting their money’s worth whenever they took me to Fresh Choice! As a child, I relished the opportunity to make my own salad with all the good stuff (iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, eggs, and croutons—croutons as high as I could pile them!) and none of the icky stuff (non-iceberg lettuce, cabbage, chickpeas, etc.), and after my mom persuaded me to try it, I even grew rather fond of a particular pasta salad, named “Tuna Tarragon”, even though it had those dastardly celery bits mixed in.
I haven’t been to a Fresh Choice in ages, but I still remember that pasta salad and how much I enjoyed it. This recipe is my best recreation of it, and it’s pretty darned delicious, if I do say so myself! It’s creamy yet has some crunch from the celery, it’s simultaneously tangy and a little bit sweet, and it’s sure to tempt your taste buds and make your mouth water!
I hope you all have a lovely Memorial Day weekend! What delicious foods will you be cooking or grilling?
- 1/2 pound medium pasta shells
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise (I use light mayo)
- 2/3 cup sour cream (I use low-fat)
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 2 5-ounce cans tuna, drained
- 1/2 cup sweet pickle relish
- 3 tablespoons tarragon vinegar
- 2 sprigs fresh tarragon (leaves only, chopped finely)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package.
- Once the pasta is done cooking, rinse with cold water and place in a large mixing bowl. Combine pasta with remaining ingredients, reserving 1/3 cup sour cream. Make sure to break up the tuna into small pieces with a fork before adding it to the other ingredients.
- This pasta salad is best if let sit for at least 4 hours (up to overnight) before serving. Stir in the remaining 1/3 cup sour cream just before serving.
- Serves 6-8 as a side dish.
- If possible, make and refrigerate 4+ hours before serving, to allow the flavors to marinate.
I love the idea of tarragon in a classic tuna pasta salad! This sounds like the best possible dish to bring to a summer picnic. 🙂
Thanks!! I know I’ll be bringing it to any picnics I go on this summer! 🙂
I love this salad, I make it also but add peas as well. It’s delicious and I haven’t tried adding the sour cream, next time I am going to try that,
Peas sound like a great addition! I was also thinking about adding some diced red bell pepper, but then decided to just stick as close as possible to the original restaurant version for the sake of the post. I’m definitely going to toss in some more veggies for the leftovers, though!
How much dried tarragon would you use if you don’t have fresh?
Good question! I had to do some searching, but according to this website, you should use 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon. Let me know how it goes if you try it!
What a great pasta salad, I’m all about the sides!
Thanks!! Me too (lately, at any rate)! In the past, I’ve skimped on preparing side dishes, but they really do a great job of pulling a meal together.
This looks soooo good! I adore pasta salad! My mom makes a similar one with chicken salad. It is always nice to eat on a hot day when it has been chilled in the fridge.
Thanks for sharing!
-Kloe
Pasta salad really is a great hot-weather food, isn’t it? You can cook the pasta in the morning before it gets too hot, and then come evening, you’ve already got dinner (or part of dinner) taken care of! I’ll have to try this with chicken some time – sounds tasty!
That looks fresh and delish!
Thanks – it certainly is!
Omg!!!! Always looking for pasta salads. What is tarragon vinegar/do you think I could sub something for that?
Tarragon vinegar is vinegar with tarragon leaves soaking in it. If you don’t have tarragon vinegar (and actually I didn’t until recently), I would suggest just using regular (or possibly white wine) vinegar, and maybe throwing in some extra dried tarragon leaves if you have them. If you try making it, let me know how you like it!
sounds lovely – thank you for sharing.
Thanks, Anne! I’m glad this caught your eye.