Here are 7 recipes you need this summer! These 7 pasta salads are perfect for feeding a crowd at backyard BBQs, cookouts, tailgates, potlucks or for preparing a quick and easy side dish or light meal for your family.
Is it even summer without pasta salad? Tender pasta, fresh herbs, vegetables and zesty dressings are the perfect easy side dish for burgers, anything from the grill and even a mainstay at fish frys!
Beyond that, they also make easy meals when cooking is just not on the menu. And if you’re lucky enough to have leftovers? You’ve hit the jackpot for a quick, delicious lunch!
Whether you’re looking for classic combos like Southern Macaroni Salad or new and exciting flavors like Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad, these 7 easy recipes will make sure you will always have the perfect pasta salad!
5 Tips for Making the Best Pasta Salad Every Time
- Use the right shape of pasta. The best pastas for salads are ones with lots of nooks and crannies. These bends and folds hold loads of dressing, herbs and seasonings, making every bite delicious!
- Salt the water. Bland pasta will make for a bland salad no matter how much dressing used. So start off right by generously salting the water the pasta will be cooked in.
- Cook the pasta al dente. Al dente pasta is tender but still slightly firm. This ensures that your pasta will hold up well in your salad without getting mushy.
- Rinse the pasta. Rinsing the pasta after it drains stops the cooking process, but it also rinses away some of the starch which can make pasta stick together. This will make your pasta easier to toss in your salad.
- Make it at the right time. Pasta salad is best when made the day before or the day of your meal. Making it too far ahead of time will result in a mushy salad on your big day.
What You Need to Make & Serve Pasta Salad
Having the right tools on hand is what makes any job easy! These are the tools I use in my kitchen so that making and serving all my favorites salads is quick, simple and fun!
- Heavy Duty Colander/Strainer
- Salad Dressing Shaker
- Easy Squeeze Citrus Juicer
- Large Wooden Salad Bowl with Matching Tongs
- Henckels Knife Block Set
- Easy Use Salad Tongs
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