Frequently asked questions
Cover it all in a tangy Italian-style dressing, and it’s a delightful mix of textures, flavors and colors. Alex and I love making this one for a summer potluck or cookout, or it saves well for lunches throughout the week. And, we’ve got so many variations on the classic (caprese, chicken, pesto!): here are all our pasta salad recipes!
Fusilli spiral pasta or any short-cut pasta (see below) Cherry tomatoes Bell pepper Red onion Chopped herbs: basil, parsley or dill Olives Pepperoncini or banana peppers Small mozzarella cheese balls Shredded Parmesan cheese Italian-style dressing (see below)
The dried herbs make the flavor. Use dried dill, oregano and garlic powder for a savory pop. Using neutral oil plus olive oil makes store well! Olive oil tends to clump up when it’s cold, which makes storage tricky. The solution? Add a neutral oil! Using equal parts organic vegetable oil or grapeseed oil makes a vinaigrette that doesn’t solidify. If you prefer to use all olive oil, feel free! Just make sure to bring it fully to room temp before eating. Substitute ¾ cup purchased Italian dressing if you’re in a rush. Look for the best quality Italian dressing you can find: the flavor varies greatly based on brand.
Spirals (fusilli) Penne Bowties (farfalle) Shells (conchiglie) Orecchiette Gemelli Gigli
Using neutral oil makes it store well! As noted above, using neutral oil with olive oil helps so the olive oil doesn’t clump when refrigerated. Make sure to bring it to room temperature before serving. You may need to add a few pinches of salt, a drizzle of olive oil, or some Parmesan cheese. Some foods become more bland when refrigerated, which is the case with this pasta salad recipe. Taste and add a few pinches salt before serving, if necessary.
Try this fan favorite Easy Tortellini Salad. Go for Greek Pasta Salad or Mediterranean Pasta Salad. Try Caprese Pasta Salad, Bow Tie Pasta Salad or Pesto Pasta Salad. Make Orzo Pasta Salad or Pickle Pasta Salad. Add protein for Chicken Pasta Salad, Tuna Pasta Salad or Shrimp Pasta Salad.
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1 pound fusilli spiral pasta (or any short-cut pasta like penne, bowties, etc) 1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half 1 green bell pepper, diced 1/4 red onion, sliced ½ cup chopped fresh herbs (basil and parsley or dill) ¾ cup black or green olives, sliced ¾ cup sliced pepperoncini or banana peppers 6 ounces small mozzarella cheese balls (Ciliegine) ¾ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
For the dressing**
⅓ cup white wine vinegar 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 1 teaspoon each dried dill, oregano, and garlic powder 1 teaspoon kosher salt ¼ cup olive oil ¼ cup neutral oil (like organic vegetable or grapeseed***) Fresh ground black pepper
**In a rush? Substitute ¾ cup Italian dressing or your purchased vinaigrette dressing of choice for the homemade dressing. ***Using neutral oil in a pasta salad helps leftovers keep in the fridge: if you use only olive oil, it clumps up after about 1 day of storage. You can use 100% olive oil if you prefer.
