Pasta salad, a must during the hot months
Pasta salad is a must in these summer months where it is essential eating fresh and light foods. It is a “comfortable” dish: it is easy to prepare, with few ingredients and can be a healthy lunch to bring in the office or on the beach as packed lunch. It is important to be creative and never monotonous, thus read our article where we give you great suggestions for easy and tasty recipe.
Pasta salad: 6 recipes to try
1. The classic
The recipe of pasta salad can vary from house to house as each family has its own recipe with its favourite ingredients. But the classic pasta salad foresees diced tomatoes, mozzarella, black olives, tuna and a leaf of basil to decorate. Always fresh and well appreciated.
Suggested pasta: farfalle (butterflies)
2. The Genoese
Genovese pesto is a sauce that is really good also cold, for a super green pasta salad. You can enrich your pasta salad with some diced cherries tomatoes.
Suggested pasta: fusilli (twists)
3. The vegetarian
This pasta salad is also a perfect way to reuse the grilled vegetables left from your Sunday barbecue: cut in small pieces the belt peppers, the aubergines, the courgettes and use it to season your pasta. Add also saffron to colour and season.
Suggested pasta: cavatappi (spirals)
4. With fish
If you are looking for an excellent variant for a great pasta salad, we suggest you this one with octopus salad. Prepare the octopus, removing the head, the entrails and the peel, boil it for 45 minutes (water without salt) and cut in pieces. Place in a bowl, marinate for a couple of hours with grinded hot chilli pepper and salt; add cherry tomatoes, pine nuts and celery. Mix with your pasta.
Suggested pasta: strozzapreti
5. The extravagant
Even if it is a little extravagant, this pasta is pretty delicious. It foresees a seasoning of diced melon, crispy raw ham cooked in a pan with a drizzle of oil and primosale cheese to season. An intriguing contrast of tastes and consistencies.
Suggested pasta: castellane
6. The Greek
It is a pasta salad that reminds the fresh and authentic taste of Greece: diced Greek feta, dried tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes), black olives (better if they have been backed) and finally a sprinkle of oregano.
Suggested pasta: mezzemaniche
Secrets for a great pasta salad
- Do not cook too much your pasta and when you drain eat, leave it for a while under cold water to stop the cooking phase and removing the extra amid that will make it gluey.
- Be creative and do not use the pre-packed in oil products that will make your dish a real calorie bomb.
- Pay attention to the type of pasta, prefer short pasta because it hold better the small pieces of your seasoning. Choose fusilli, farfalle or penne, but also strozzapreti, cavatappi, or castellane, never heard about it before? Try them, they are diverse type of pasta, ideal for a pasta salad.
- For a funny pasta salad use coloured pasta, or if you are on a diet choose whole-grain pasta.
