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The pasta salad is particularly appreciated by gourmets of all stripes. Being able to be served in a convivial way in a meal with friends or to take place in the middle of a salad bar, the pasta salads allow to vary the pleasures. With our tips, you will now be sure to succeed your pasta salads every time
Tip 1: the choice of pasta
While there is no formal prohibition on choosing the type of pasta to use for your salad, some pasta will fit this dish better than others.
This is especially the case for the twists, fusilli or rigatoni . This pasta will be easier to prick with your fork and will be able to be combined with all the ingredients that you want to put in your salad. Preferably avoid long pasta such as spaghetti, which will go better with a dish in sauce than with a pasta salad.
Tip 2: do not stick your pasta
It is not very pleasant to have to eat a pasta salad in which all the pasta has stuck together.
To avoid this, be sure to cook your pasta in a large pot of water. About 100 grams of pasta should be placed in 1 liter of water to prevent the pasta from clumping together. This water level will effectively dilute the starch contained in the pasta and make it significantly less sticky.
Tip 3: Heat your pasta
Guests have just arrived and you must hurry to make your pasta salad. But a problem arises: how can I prevent my pasta from being hot in my salad after I have just cooked it?
Don’t worry, there is a very simple solution. After cooking your pasta, place it for one to two minutes under cold water. Drain them and your pasta will be at the perfect temperature to be served. Rinsing pasta with water is only a problem with a hot pasta dish. Here there is no problem to use this technique.
Tip 4: Support
Obviously the main ingredient in a pasta salad is… the pasta dish. But it is also very important to place delicious ingredients in your salad in order to make the latter succulent.
It is possible to make salads without meat or fish such as pasta salad with tomato, mozzarella and capers but also to place inside a fish such as tuna for example. In any case, the essential ingredient remains Italian cheese . Choose from mozzarella, parmesan or even gorgonzola to make your salad unmistakable.
Tip 5: The dressing for the salad
What would a salad be without its sauce to accompany it?
As part of a pasta salad, it is best to opt for a simple dressing with quality olive oil. It will also bring a little touch of sunshine to your preparation.
With all these tips, you will never be able to miss a pasta salad again! Now all you have to do is cook.
Our pasta salad recipe ideas
The great thing about pasta salad is that you can put anything you want in it. The downside is that you ultimately have so much choice that it’s not always easy to find the ingredients that will go well together in your salad recipe.
Pesto pasta salad
The pesto pasta salad is a staple in the vegetable pasta salad family , especially if you like garlic and basil which are the two main ingredients in pesto .
For this type of pasta salad recipe, prefer penne to which the pesto will mix well. Add feta, this will give the dish a little freshness, some spinach, and zucchini in pieces. If you are not a fan of pasta salad with vegetables, keep the same base and add either parma ham or fish, such as cod, which is eaten very well cold.
Italian pasta salad
Here’s another idea that will delight all members of your family : an Italian-style pasta salad , full of colors and flavors ! For this recipe, the farfalle is ideal. For this type of pasta, be particularly careful when cooking and respect the time indicated on the package because otherwise the farfalle will be too hard or too soft.
Then add:
pieces of melon, parma ham (or a few pieces of chicken ), olives, some cherry tomatoes and a little diced Mozzarella!
Garnish with a honey mustard sauce:
In a bowl, mix a teaspoon of honey and mustard, salt and pepper, add 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and a drizzle of olive oil, Mix and generously sprinkle your salad with the paste.
For an even more complete recipe and if you want to give your pasta salad even more flavor, add a few pieces of red, green and yellow peppers . Guaranteed visual effect!
Tuna Pasta Salad
If you are not too meaty but don’t want a vegetarian recipe, opt for a seafood salad. The most famous: the tuna pasta salad. For this recipe it’s very simple: garnish your pasta with a tin of tuna, a small tin of corn, a few slices of tomatoes, and cucumber. Add a touch of mayonnaise, and enjoy!
For a seafood salad, you can replace the tuna with shrimp or surimi . Then add a few slices of avocado to complete your recipe.
Tomato paste salad
For those little summer appetites if you fancy a light and fresh pasta salad: add a few colorful tomatoes to your pasta. Season with a lemon vinaigrette and enjoy!
Greek Pasta Salad
A classic in our view: the best pasta salad made fast to achieve! For this recipe choose penne or girandoles, add tomatoes, feta, cucumber, black and green olives, chives and season with a balsamic vinaigrette and lemon olive oil.
