I love pasta salad. It’s one of life’s easiest dishes, but also one that you want to stand out. How do you do this when so many will make this beautiful dish with a bit of Italian Dressing? In our house, we change the dressing. One simple switch will take you pasta salad to the next level.
While Summer is heading into my rear view, that doesn’t mean it’s not a great time to enjoy this favorite summer dishes. One of my go-to dishes during hot days is pasta salad. It’s simple to make, delicious, and can be customized to suit your taste buds. In this blog post, I’ll be sharing my favorite pasta salad recipe. I will include some tips that I utilize to make my pasta salad stand out in a crowd.
Choosing the Right Pasta:
This seems like something that should be easy enough. So often, I see pasta salads using the tri-colored rotini pasta. While this pasta does taste great, I love using a Cavatappi instead. I also cook the pasta to al dente. I do NOT love mushy pasta. As the pasta will continue to cook for a bit once you take it out of the boiling water, al dente is the perfect stopping point.
Now Let’s Add Some Crunch:
One of the things that make pasta salad so unique is the variety of textures in each bite. Adding crunchy ingredients like peppers, cucumbers, and celery can make all the difference. Not only do they add texture, but they also add a fresh flavor to the dish. You can also add some nuts or seeds for some extra crunch.
My go to, chopped red pepper and a bit of shallot. While you can also add other veggies for additional color and crunch. We opt for a somewhat more simplistic approach to our pasta salad.
I also add a bit of fontina and Parmesan cheese to this as well as sliced black olives.
Dress It Up:
Dressing is where many pasta salads go wrong. The key is to not overdo the dressing but to coat every pasta piece well. My favorite dressing for pasta salad, Girard’s Champagne Salad Dressing. It’s light, refreshing, and allows all the other ingredients to shine.
The Perfect Seasoning:
While pasta salad can be delicious on its own, seasoning it well can take it to the next level. Adding some salt and pepper to your pasta salad can drastically enhance the flavor. I take my dressing and place it in a bowl while I am boiling my pasta. I chop my shallot and then add this to the dressing to marinate.
Once the pasta has cooked, I drain and then run cold water over the pasta to slow down any additional cooking that will occur. I pour my drained pasta into the dressing and place in the fridge to cool further.
Let it Chill:
Let the pasta chill for 10 minutes, then remove from the fridge and add the rest of your ingredients. Always save the cheese until the pasta/veg mix has cooled enough to not melt the cheese.
Then the final step, put your pasta back in the fridge to continue to chill. Chilling the pasta salad allows the flavors to meld together and allows the dressing to soak into the pasta. I recommend chilling your pasta salad for at least two hours before serving. This step can be skipped if you’re in a hurry but trust me; it’s worth the wait.
Ultimate Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- ½ box Cavatappi Pasta Cook until al dente, then drain and rinse with cold water.
- 1 Bottle Girards Champagned Dressing
- 2 Shallots Finely diced
- 1 Red Bell Pepper Chopped
- 1 Jar Sliced Black Olives
- ½ - 1 Cup Fontina Cheese Chopped
- ½ Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
Optional
- 3 Pieces Bacon Fried and crumbled
- ¼ Cup Pepperoni Chopped
Instructions
- Cook the pasta for the al dente directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- Chop shallot and then place in a bowl with Girards dressing. You can add all vegetables now. Salt & Pepper to taste.
- Add pasta to dressing and place in the fridge for a minimum 10 minutes.
- Add cheeses to dressing, mix and then return to the fridge to cool completely.
Enjoy! Hope you have the chance to try this one!
