Pasta Salad
Volume 1 · Pasta Perfetto
Insalata di pasta
Description
A classic Italian cold pasta salad — al dente short pasta tossed with crisp bell peppers, juicy cherry tomatoes, cool cucumber, briny olives, and your choice of tuna or ham. Brightened with a simple lemon-olive oil dressing and fresh basil, this make-ahead salad is a staple of summer picnics, beach lunches, and buffet tables. The key is chilling it thoroughly before serving to let the flavors meld.
Yield
4 servings
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Total Time
20 minutes + 30 minutes chilling
Difficulty
Easy
- 300 g (10 oz) short pasta (fusilli, farfalle, penne, or orecchiette)
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
- 200 g (7 oz) cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cucumber, seeded and diced
- 100 g (½ cup) pitted black or green olives, halved
- 200 g (7 oz) canned tuna in oil, drained and flaked, or 150 g (5 oz) diced cooked ham
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Fresh basil leaves, torn or chiffonade
Instructions
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the short pasta and cook until al dente — about 1–2 minutes less than the package directions. Drain and rinse immediately under cold running water until completely cool. Drain well.
- Prepare the vegetables. While the pasta cooks, dice the bell peppers, halve the cherry tomatoes, seed and dice the cucumber, and halve the olives.
- Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
- Combine. In a large bowl, toss the cooled pasta with the vegetables, olives, and tuna or ham. Pour the dressing over and toss thoroughly to coat.
- Chill. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. This resting time allows the flavors to meld and the pasta to absorb the dressing.
- Serve. Just before serving, toss again, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, and garnish with torn fresh basil.
Equipment Needed
Large pot, colander, large mixing bowl, chef's knife and cutting board, small whisk or fork, measuring spoons
Chef's Notes
- Rinse the pasta thoroughly under cold water to stop the cooking immediately and remove excess surface starch — this prevents the pasta from clumping together as it chills.
- Drain the pasta very well after rinsing. Excess water will dilute the dressing and make the salad watery.
- For the best texture, dice all vegetables to roughly the same size as the pasta — about 1 cm (½ in) pieces.
- Let the salad come to room temperature for 5–10 minutes before serving if it has been chilled for more than an hour; the olive oil solidifies slightly when cold and needs a few minutes to loosen.
- Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for up to 2 days — the salad actually improves as the flavors continue to meld.
Related Recipes
- Cold Pasta Arugula Pesto (#23)
- Cold Pasta Salad (#137)
- Cold Pasta Ricotta Avocado (#101)
- Cold Fusilli Arugula Pesto (#05)
Source
Adapted from traditional Italian pasta salads
Recipe from The Italian Kitchen by Vita Milanese — Volume 1 · Pasta Perfetto. Discover all volumes on the ebook page.