What's the key to a good pasta salad?

Question

This summer has included a lot of eating at various picnics, and I've started to notice that everyone has their own pasta salad 'recipe'. It appears to be based more on a personal preference of ingredients, but it certainly results in a very unique blend each time.

I'm no chef, but I've suddenly developed this want to make my own unique pasta salad, but what kind of ingredients should I work with and what should I avoid?

Answer 1

don't over cook your pasta.   if you have an electric stove, bring your water to a boil, then add a pinch of salt and butter/oil  add pasta, retun to boil, stir, cover, and turn off heat let set for about 10 min, drain

ingredients depends on if you are wanting a creamy dressing or a vinegar/oil dressing.  

go to  Food Network.com and check out some recipes there.  Follow to a tee though.  

You can make them your own by adding your own fresh veggies, frozen veggies, cheese, what every like that to them.

Answer 2

Don't over cook the pasta-- and don't use mayo-- I use salsa and Italian dressing and I add black olives onion celery tiny cubes of sharp cheese and small chunks of salami diced green and red pepper A drained can of green beans and a drained small can of kidney beans and occasionally I will add a small can of rinsed drained white hominy or baby corn or sliced water chestnuts whatever I happen to have on hand.

Answer 3

I use rotini or fusilli pasta.  Cook and drain the pasta, and run cold water through it.  Chop up your favorite vegetables--I use carrots, red peppers, cucumbers, celery, broccoli--whatever I have in the fridge.  Toss everything together with some Greek salad dressing and crumbled Feta cheese.

Answer 4

The only thing I know not to do is add vinegar based dressing to far in advance because they can break down the pasta...

What is really neat about pasta is that it is a blank canvas.its fairly bland so it takes on whatever flavors you add.and I Love the texture.

Ranch dressing,real bacon bits,sharp cheddar and halved cherry tomatoes tossed with pasta...if you like it spicy add a little  Chipotle in Adobo Sauce ( I use just the sauce)

for something more Italian...Italian dressing ...or make your own vinaigrette(1/3 cup vinegar,1 cup olive oil,1 clove minced garlic,1 Tablespoon minced onion and 1 Tablespoon of Italian seasonings(equal amounts of oregano,Thyme,sage rosemary& marjoram )toss with tomatoes,black olives...even stripped or diced salami.

Cesar ....Cesar dressing,feta,black olives and parm cheese...

Answer 5

The most important part before adding anything and this key part will make or break your salad is in boiling the pasta.  Never overcook because then it will become mushy.  Undercooking is not that great either.  Your pasta will be too chewy.

You can deal with this best by heating the water before adding the pasta.  Add salt and about a teaspoon of oil to the water.  This makes it not stick together after you drain out the water.  Cooking time will vary depending on how hot the water is when you put in the pasta, how much pasta you add and how big the pot is, etc.

So, the best thing you can do to tell that it is done, is to occasioanlly taste the pasta as it cooks.  A saying I have heard a lot is, "Never trust a skinny cook."  And it's true.  A good cook will always taste a little of his dish before serving.  He does this with several clean spoons or forks.  Keep stirring occasionally throught the boiling.  When the water gets to a rapid boil, it is a good idea to turn the heat off and let it simmer.  Stirring will prevent the pasta on the bottom from sticking to the pan or itself.

Once, you have a great pasta, you're on your own.  Try different recipes ahead of time, adding precisely the exact measurements of the ingredients.  A good cook is simply someone who follows the recipe and also someone who has a lot of experience fooling around in the kitchen trying out different recipes.

Good luck and bon apetit!  :)

Answer 6

Use anything.

Avoid nothing.

Be fearless!

Its the path to greatness in pasta salad

Answer 7

Stay clear of mayo based pasta salads if you intend to take it to a picnic. Try and stick with vinegar based salad dressing for your pasta salads. The ingredients are a personal preference. I like using a rotini pasta, cherry tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, red onion, black olives and feta cheese, mixed with a prepared greek salad dressing. If you are taking it to a picnic, add the feta cheese right before being served

Answer 8

its mostly about the dressing,

buy a more expensive brand and use the flavors that you like the most, i like to try some more exciting flavors not just plain italian.

i use a lot of veggies and sometimes add cubes cheese and (or)

summer sausage.

Answer 9

to make your own "signature" pasta salad, choose a theme - italian, mexican, asian, etc.  select 2-3 vegetables, a protein, a dressing, and a topping or garnish for a salad that can double as a meal.

undercook your noodles a bit, since they will absorb dressing and plump up as the salad sits.  dress the pasta and stir in other ingredients, then chill for 1-2 hours.  add extra dressing as desired.

some ideas:

italian:  pepperoni, sliced canned mushrooms and olives (drained), shredded parmesan, and bottled vinaigrette or italian dressing

mexican: sliced grilled chicken, corn, roasted bell or poblano pepper, onion, shredded cheddar, and catalina dressing or salsa

asian:  grilled shrimp, mandarin orange segments, shredded cabbage, and water chestnuts, chow mein noodles, and sesame ginger dressing

the beauty of pasta salads is that you can use as much or as little of each ingredient as you want or according to what you have on hand.  don't be afraid to experiment - vary the pasta shapes and try new combinations of add-ins to find your favorite.

Answer 10

I use a combination of Italian dressing and french dressing, it just really taste so good.  I would avoid putting tomatoes into the salad and just add them when it's time to serve it, that makes the salad watery from the tomato breaking down.  Make sure you cook the pasta according to package directions and not a minute more.....drain immediately and run cold water over it to stop the cooking.  Add dressing and ingredients when the pasta is still kind of warm (not hot) this allows for absorption which flavors the pasta well.  Last thing, add a teaspoon of sugar.....some how it blends everything out.

Answer 11

Hi there,

Here are 1,600+ recipes for you to look through:

http://www.cooks.com/rec/search?q=pasta+...

Answer 12

To me it's the dressing and olives. You don't have to buy the very best out there but a decent brand or they tatse nasty and definitly taste cheap.

I use:

colored rotini

sliced olives drained

garbanzo beans

kidney beans

red onion

home made ranch dressing

home made vinagerette

The vinagarette is as follows:

1 1/2 cups cider vinegar

1/4 + 2 tbsp sugar

1/4 cup horseradish

3 1/4 cups veggie oil

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

1/8 cup worcerstshire sauce

3/4 tsp dijon mustard

Mix everything well with a hand blender or in the blender/processor until emulisfied.  

Answer 13

For a pasta salad there needs to be:

Pasta (of course)

a veggie (onions, carrots, peas, etc.)

maybe a meat (ham or bacon possibly)

and a "dressing" (mayonaisse, salad dressing or something like that)

Avoidance is only with your likes and dislikes

Mix and mingle until you get one you really like

I am making one of mine tomorrow..here's the recipes if you'd like to try them

Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

1 Bag shell pasta 5 peeled baby carrots, shredded 1 can Very Young Peas,drained well (use only YOUNG ONES) 1 Packet Hidden Valley Ranch Dresing (DRY) 1 Cup Mayonaisse-NO MIRACLE WHIP 1 tsp. onion powder bacon bits, real tastes best, but bacos are good as well..ONE CAP FULL

Directions:

Boil pasta and shredded carrots until cooked. Drain and let cool. In a small bowl, mix mayonaisse, Hidden Valley Ranch Packet, and onion powder together. When pasta is cooled down a bit, mix pasta and mayonaisse mixture and peas together thouroughly. Place in fridge for at least 2 hours to cool or overnight for best results.

My PH Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

1 pack ROTINI NOODLES (the curly ones) 1/2 of a BELL PEPPER 1 SMALL RED ONION OR 1 tsp. onion powder 1 PKG CHERRY TOMATOES OR GRAPE TOMATOES OR DICED ROMA (pear) TOMATOES 1/2 TO 1 Bottle KRAFT RANCH WITH BACON SALAD DRESSING (MUST BE KRAFT BRAND)

Directions:

Boil Noodles til soft. Chop all veggies and place in bowl add enough dressing to coat veggies set aside. When noodles are done, add to veggies and add more dressing to coat as much or as little as you like. Refrigerate at least 3 hours to chill well. ***You may also add in: Bacon Bits (but it makes it very salty)