Your Cooking Assistant Find a recipe by the avaliable engredients
Set the ingredients

Easy Cold Pasta Salad

4

150 min

Easy Cold Pasta Salad

Easy Cold Pasta Salad Photo 1

Category

Salads

Time

150 min

Serving

8 persons

Calories

297

Rating

4.00 rating-star (75)

Cuisine

Author: Victoria Bailey
This cold pasta salad recipe is easy, quick to make, and great for brunch, luncheons, or whatever. I find that this salad is always popular at get-togethers and usually disappears rather quickly.

Ingredients

  • uncooked rotini pasta: 14 ounces
  • cucumbers, chopped: 2 piece
  • onion, finely chopped: 0.5 piece
  • cherry tomatoes, quartered: 10 piece
  • pitted black olives, sliced: 0.75 cup
  • Italian-style salad dressing: 1 cup

Metric Conversion

Stages of cooking

  1. Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Stir in pasta and return to a boil. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and cool by running cold water over pasta in a colander set in the sink.
    Easy Cold Pasta Salad Photo 2
  2. Combine pasta with cucumbers, onion, tomatoes, and olives in a large bowl. Pour Italian dressing over salad; stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
    Easy Cold Pasta Salad Photo 3

History of the Easy Cold Pasta Salad:

Cold pasta salads have been a popular dish for many years, with endless variations of ingredients and dressings. The beauty of the easy cold pasta salad recipe is its simplicity and versatility, allowing for substitutions and additions to suit individual preferences.

Tips and Tricks for Easy Cold Pasta Salad Recipe:

One key to a successful cold pasta salad is to ensure the pasta is cooked al dente, so it still has some bite and doesn't turn mushy when mixed with the other ingredients. Adding a bit of salt to the water before boiling the pasta can also enhance the flavor.

When chopping the vegetables for the salad, it's important to keep the pieces relatively uniform in size to ensure even distribution of flavors and textures. For added color and crunch, you can also include grated carrots, chopped bell peppers, or celery.

For the Italian-style dressing, you can either use a store-bought version or make your own by whisking together olive oil, vinegar, garlic, herbs, and seasonings.

Tips for presenting the dish:

To make the easy cold pasta salad visually appealing, try garnishing with fresh herbs, such as basil or parsley, or sprinkling with grated Parmesan cheese. You can also serve in a glass bowl or on a platter to showcase the colorful ingredients. This dish pairs well with grilled meats, sandwiches, or on its own as a light and refreshing meal.

How did you like this article?

You may also like