15 Pasta Salad Recipes You Need This Summer

As a professional recipe developer, I’ve cooked, eaten, and developed more than a few recipes for one of the most popular dishes of an American summer: pasta salad. That being said, I’ve learned a thing or two about what makes a great pasta salad. You may be thinking, “Okay, but pasta salad is so simple, so easy, so versatile that you basically can’t mess it up—right?” Well, if you’ve ever had a bad pasta salad, you know that’s not true and that not all pasta salads are created equal.

So here are three of my not so common pasta salad rules of thumb to live by, plus my favorite pasta salad recipes.

• Don’t be afraid to cook your pasta past al dente. Once you rinse the pasta with cold water to stop the cooking (a must for every pasta salad—do not skip this) and store it in the fridge, it will become more solid. So cooking your pasta until soft all the way through (but not mushy!) is a good thing.
• Be playful with your mix-ins. The best pasta salads have different textures and flavors going on in every bite—crunchy, soft, creamy, tangy, sour, fresh, salty, spicy, etc. The pasta shape also plays a role here. For example, I love using medium shells or orecchiette with peas or corn because those shapes can catch the small veg and make for one great bite.
• Save some dressing for serving. If you’re making a large batch of pasta salad to have leftovers for later in the week or to bring to a party or potluck, it’s always a good idea to save some dressing for serving. As the pasta salad sits in the fridge, it will absorb the dressing, leaving it a bit dry. A fresh drizzle of your dressing adds moisture and flavor back into the salad, making it just as good as the day you made it, if not better.