If you’ve ever found yourself at a picnic or a barbecue, there’s not a shadow of a doubt that there will be a pasta salad adorning the table. But not just any pasta salad, specifically tuna pasta salad.

Tuna recipes are everywhere right now. Dare I say, they’re having a moment. However, many of them are doused in mayonnaise, but they don’t have to be, according to the food expert behind Chelsea's Messy Apron blog.

Chelsea created a tuna pasta salad recipe that’s easy to prepare and cook, which takes just half an hour in total. However, her recipe does away with mayo in favour of another ingredient that brings the creamy texture but more flavour.

Enter Caesar salad dressing, Chelsea’s secret ingredient. This dressing is made with a mix of Caesar dressing and sour cream to help bolster its creaminess. It serves as a foundation for diced vegetables, tuna, and, of course, pasta.

Although Chelsea’s recipe called for peas, I decided to leave them out. That’s what I like about “salad” dishes, you can customise them any way you like. Personally, sweetcorn has more place in a pasta salad than peas.

The recipe is incredibly simple; cook the pasta in salted water, mix the dressing ingredients, and dice up the vegetables. Once the pasta is cooked, drained and cooled slightly, everything is mixed together in a large bowl.

All in all, it probably took me about 20 minutes to complete. There was no sweat, strain, or pain.

Chelsea wrote on her blog: "I know, it's a little unique, but it's a game changer! It complements the tuna so nicely and keeps the salad from tasting like plain mayo (like so many tuna mac salads you've probably had in the past!).

"The Caesar salad dressing adds a lot of seasonings and flavour, so you don't need to add too many other ingredients. It's a convenient shortcut for loads of flavour."

I don’t disagree with Chelsea. The Caesar salad dressing does bring a lot of flavour to the dish, including some much-needed saltiness and umami. It’s far more interesting than plain mayo, for sure.

It’s an easy and simple swap that requires little thought. The salad dressing alone wouldn’t be enough to coat the pasta dish completely, so the sour cream is definitely needed to add a bit of body. Nobody wants sauce slipping off their pasta.

The Caesar dressing works really well with the salty tuna, especially for anyone who has a tricky relationship with fish. It makes it less fishy, if you will.

Adding diced vegetables gives each bite a healthy crunch. The gherkin brine helps amplify every bite, bringing a sharpness that cuts through all the cream.

I’m wondering why this swap hasn’t been made sooner. Caesar dressing helps add much-needed flavour without having to create a sauce from scratch. This is a swap everyone should make to their tuna pasta salad.

Ingredients

• 23g pasta
• 129g frozen peas
• 284g tuna, preferably in olive oil
• 198g Caesar salad dressing
• 151g sour cream
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 3g garlic powder
• 94g pickles
• Half of a red bell pepper
• Two celery stalks
• 77g carrots
• 72g red onion, diced

Method

Start by preparing the pasta according to package directions. Generously salt the water, or the whole salad will taste under-seasoned.

Add frozen peas with the pasta for the last minute of boiling. Drain pasta and peas, rinse under cold water, let cool, and let dry.

Meanwhile, combine all the dressing ingredients in a medium bowl: Caesar salad dressing, sour cream, salt and pepper to taste, and garlic powder.

Measure veggies after dicing: dice pickles, bell pepper, celery, onion, and carrots.

Add the pasta and peas to a large bowl. Top with all salad veggie toppings and the thoroughly drained tuna.

Add the dressing and gently mix everything to combine. Stir until ingredients are well coated, then taste and season again.

At this point, you may need to add more salt, but it depends on how salty the Caesar salad dressing is.