How To Make The BEST Pasta Salad!
A guide for How To Make the Best Pasta Salad! Learn about flavor combinations, dressings, and delicious recipes you can try for yourself!
There are few things that please as much as pasta salad does as a potluck. What’s not to love? The chilled salad is packed with tender pasta, crunchy and fresh vegetables, salty additions like olives, and typically a tangy and savory dressing. It’s the perfect side! There are so many recipes out there to explore, but why not make up your own?
This guide teaches you what ingredients every great pasta salad should have, tips and tricks to find delicious flavor combination, and if all else fails: delicious recipes for you to try yourself! Read on to learn how to make the best pasta salad!
Key Components Of A Great Pasta Salad
Pasta
In a dish such as pasta salad (when all of your ingredients are prepared in uniform sizes to create a delicious mouthful in each bite), short cut pastas are typically the way to go. But which ones to use?
Here are my favorite cuts of pasta to use in pasta salad!
- Orzo
- Fusilii or Rotini
- Elbow macaroni
- Shells
- Orecchiette
- Ditalini
- Radiatore
However, don’t let this list limit you! So long as your ingredients are prepared in the same way that your pasta is cut, the result will be delicious.
For example, you can make a pasta salad with longer noodles, such as spaghetti or linguine, but you would want to prepare the remaining ingredients in longer threads, perhaps with a vegetable peeler. Carrots, zucchini or cucumber, and bell pepper would be delicious additions that would be great with long-cut pasta.
Fresh Vegetables
The sky is the limit when it comes to which fresh vegetables you can and should use in your pasta salad! Choose your favorite combination. A few of my favorites are listed below!
- Red Pepper
- Broccoli
- Carrot
- Cucumber
- Zucchini
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Cauliflower
- Peapods
- Peas
- Green Beans
- Corn
- Eggplant
- Roasted Red Pepper
Cheese
Cheese is an optional albeit delicious addition to any pasta salad. It adds creamy saltiness and interesting texture! The following cheeses are options to choose from, but choose your favorite, or consider your other ingredients in the salad to match the cheese.
For example, if you were making a pasta salad that was Mexican-inspired, you may opt for cotija (a Mexican-style parmesan cheese), or shredded cheddar. Let your tastes guide you!
- Fresh Mozzarella
- Shredded Cheddar
- Pecorino
- Parmesan
- Feta
- Cubed Pepper jack
- Goat Cheese
- Halloumi
Protein
Many people serve pasta salad as a side dish, but if you’re looking to round out this side dish with more flavor and added protein, consider adding some of the following ingredients!
- Cubed Salami
- Prosciutto
- Pepperoni
- Garbanzo Beans
- Black Beans
- Cannellini Beans
- Lentils
- Bacon
Olives And Other Pickled Ingredients
Adding something pickled or marinated to your pasta salad is a must. Nothing is better than having a bite of pasta salad that with a little sliver of something salty that contrasts the other flavors of the dish. Here are a few of my favorite items to add!
- Kalamata Olives
- Castelvatrano Olives
- Green Olives
- Black Olives
- Marinated Artichoke Hearts
- Pickled Peppers
- Pepperoncinis
- Capers
Dressing
One of the key success measures of a great pasta salad recipe is having it properly dressed. It can’t be too dry, and it can’t be swimming in dressing, either. It’s also important that the dressing is properly seasoned ad not over salty, tangy, sour, or sweet. Here are a few of my favorite dressing recipes to consider trying yourself!
My Favorite Lemon Vinaigrette: goes with just about any pasta salad that you’re looking to keep light and flavorful! Bend the following ingredients together or shake in a mason jar:
- 1 lemon, juiced (about 2 tablespoons of juice)
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1/3-1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Few grinds of cracked black pepper
Greek Yogurt Dressing: great for a Greek themed pasta salad! Or any other creamy pasta salad you want to lighten up.
- 3/4 Cup Greek yogurt
- 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 Cup Dill,
- 1 Clove of garlic
- 1/2 Tsp salt
- Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Creamy pasta salad dressing: using a combination of the following ingredients, aim for one and a half cups total of dressing, and season with salt, pepper, and any additional ingredients to compliment your pasta salad such as cheese or citrus zest and juice:
- Mayonnaise, Sour Cream, Greek Yogurt
The Perfect Pasta Salad Equation
To yield the best pasta salad, I recommend using the following equation:
1 pound of cooked pasta +2 to 3 cups chopped vegetables +1 cup protein + 1 cup cheese of choice + 1/2 cup pickled ingredients + 1 to 1 1/2 cups dressing
Delicious Pasta Salad Recipes To Try
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