BEST Pasta Salad Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What are the five mistakes to avoid pasta salad? ›

While it's still warm, not hot, dress the pasta with half of the dressing, then stir in the remaining just before serving. Adding part of the dressing while the pasta is warm helps it bind to the pasta and sink in just a little.

For storing: After I make this pasta salad, whether making it ahead or storing leftovers, I just pop it in the fridge and it will keep for 2-3 days. For making ahead: I love to make pasta salad 12-24 hours ahead of time. This gives it time to absorb the dressing but not get mushy!

My Best Pasta Salad Tips

I find that the higher time range listed on box instructions is usually just about right for pasta salad. Let your pasta cool completely before tossing it with the other ingredients. If it's still warm, the hot pasta will start to cook and wilt the veggies.

If you're making a dish that will be served chilled or at room temp—think cold soba, rice noodles, pasta salad—you do want to rinse so that you get toothsome (sorry) individual strands rather than one big gummy clump. Certain types of noodles benefit from a rinse in almost all applications.

Make Pasta Salad Dressing

Mix olive oil, vinegar, garlic, basil, oregano, ground mustard, salt, and pepper in a jar with a lid. Tightly seal the jar, then shake until combined.

Typically, the pasta at Olive Garden is cooked in boiling water until al dente, and the sauces are made from scratch using various ingredients, including herbs, spices, and fresh produce. Olive Garden's kitchen staff prepares the sauces in-house, often using traditional Italian recipes and techniques.

Vinegar and other acidic ingredients do strange things to the flavor of pasta when used in salad-level amounts. Ever notice an irritating acerbic aftertaste just about every time you've eaten pasta salad? That's the vinegar announcing itself, and it's not pleasant.

The key to keeping macaroni salad from drying out is the pasta. If you don't cook it enough, the pasta won't grab on to the dressing and will dry out. If you overcook the pasta, it will be completely soggy and gross. Cook the pasta just right, and your macaroni salad will stay perfectly creamy.

An important thing to remember about pasta is that it hardens and gets chewy as it cools. Since it's not being served hot or with sauce, the pasta benefits from an extra minute of cooking, but don't let it get mushy. → Follow this tip: For a well-cooked pasta salad, plan to cook the pasta until just past al dente.

How to keep pasta salad from absorbing dressing? ›

Beyond this, the solution is simple: don't drain as much water from the cooked pasta, and add more dressing. There's a limit to how much moisture pasta will absorb. I would add that another solution is to cool your macaroni salad ingredients overnight separately, then combine before dining.

The simple solution? After draining, dunk the strainer of pasta into an ice bath (equal parts ice and water in a large bowl) and get it cold fast. Mix and chill before serving. Pasta salad get better as it rests, so for the best pasta salad, all you have to do is mix and chill the salad for at least 30 minutes.

Things like fresh lettuce or cherry tomatoes will release water into the salad and make your delicious pasta salad become soggy. What is this? For the most part, pasta salad will last between 4 to 7 days if you store it correctly. Always use sealed containers or freezer-quality storage bags.