How to Make Simple & Delicious Pasta Salad

by Kim Minton 10/16/2022

Pasta salad is an old standby regarding potluck recipes. Most recipes take less than an hour to make and involve inexpensive ingredients you might already have in your kitchen. However, since pasta salad is such a diverse dish, there is an overwhelming amount of different recipes available.

If you’re not sure where to start, here is a simple recipe for a crowd-pleasing Italian pasta salad for your next potluck.

Ingredients

1 box or package of your choice of pasta

1 cup chopped cucumber1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes

1 can of sliced black olives

1/4 cup of diced red onion

Your favorite Italian salad dressing

Process

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the box, adding a pinch of salt to the water.
Drain the pasta and set aside while you prep the veggies.
Move the pasta into a bowl and add in the prepared veggies. Mix with a large, flat spoon to avoid pasta breakage.
Add salad dressing to taste. For this size of batch, anywhere from half a cup to one cup should work well.
Place the entire bowl in the refrigerator for a while before serving. This will bring everything to the same cool, refreshing temperature and keep the veggies fresh as possible.

Tips

Here are some additional expert tips for your pasta salad:

Opt for a pasta shape that’s small and easy to combine with veggies. Some popular choices include farfalle, rotini and penne.
Once you drain the pasta into a strainer, run it under cold water to reduce the temperature instantly.
Before adding onions to the mixture, let them soak in a small amount of salad dressing for about 10 minutes. This will make it easier to enjoy the flavor of the onions without it overpowering the rest of the salad.
Skinning the cucumbers is completely up to your preference. However, consider removing the seeds. This reduces the amount of excess moisture in your pasta salad and makes for a cleaner look.
Drain the olives carefully to avoid adding extra water to your mixture.
Slice the tomatoes in half if you wish. For larger cherry tomatoes, this might make them more convenient to eat in combination with the other ingredients.
Add finely chopped pepperoni, salami, ham or your favorite cheese to add some protein to your pasta salad. You can also top with grated parmesan cheese for a savory garnish.

About the Author

Kim Minton

Having spent the last 23 years in the Santa Clarita Valley, Kim Minton has witnessed the tremendous change and growth that’s transformed the area into one of the sought-after destinations to live. Kim specializes in all facets of the Real Estate business, whether it is navigating the way for first time buyers, trying to score that perfect distressed property or helping a homeowner sell their home for top dollar. Kim also is very knowledgeable and sells in the San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles areas. Having many clients in Law Enforcement and in the Film Industry she understands their hectic schedule and makes herself available 7 days a week and easily accessible by phone during off hours. Kim’s creative, enthusiastic, patient and caring nature is perfect for matching each clients desires with their dream home as well as skillfully featuring a home’s unique presence and character when listing. Her main intention is to understand her clients needs by listening and build a relationship that will last over the course of time. While orchestrating deals for her buyers and sellers, Kim is a strong negotiator and advocate for her clients, she is just as much compassionate, friendly and a humorous partner that eases the process that can often times be stressful.