I Asked 3 Experts How To Make the Best Pasta Salad—I’m Using This Easy Tip From Now On

A good pasta salad is hard to come by. So many are dry, cold, crumbly, or coagulated. In fact, I didn’t think I liked pasta salad all that much until I tasted one at a family gathering that was perfectly moist, with a beautiful balance of sweetness from tomatoes and bell peppers, saltiness from olives, and savory elements brought in by cheese and dressing.

That said, I repeatedly fail to achieve a winning pasta salad at home, regardless of which recipe I try. While chatting with a few chef friends, though, I made a discovery! There was one step I’d been doing wrong this whole time.

The Pasta Salad Experts I Spoke To

The Game-Changing Tip the Experts All Use

Along with cooking the pasta until just al dente in seriously salted water, the step you should never skimp on, says Keckler, is “mixing the dressing into the pasta while it’s still slightly warm, not hot, just warm.”

Why does this make a difference? Goodson explains, “Warm pasta absorbs the flavors of the dressing more effectively than cold pasta, helping the seasonings penetrate and coat each bite, resulting in a more flavorful dish.” If you want to speed up the cooling process, “After draining, you can rinse the pasta with cool water to stop the cooking,” advises Keckler, adding, “but there’s no need to drown it in cold water.”

Mixing the dressing with the pasta while it’s warm does not mean you’ll be eating warm pasta salad. Once you’ve dressed the noodles, add in the veggies, cheese, and proteins of your choice, then refrigerate. “Pasta salad is best served slightly chilled or at room temperature,” says Goodson. “It’s a great make-ahead dish for cookouts, potlucks, or weekly meal prep, as the flavors continue to develop as it rests in the fridge.”

While the three chefs all have different ingredient preferences in their pasta salad recipes—Goodson likes a legume-based noodle, Clark always adds lots of fresh herbs, and Keckler incorporates a blue cheese dressing—they all stressed the importance of adding a crunchy element.

“You’ll want to mix in ingredients that add great texture and fresh flavor, such as corn, bell peppers, celery, onions, garlic, cucumbers, olives, pickles, etc.,” advises Keckler. And, despite the fact that you’ve already tossed the warm noodles in dressing, Clark gives a caveat: “Save some extra dressing to toss in right before serving!” This way, you can be sure your pasta salad is as flavor-packed as possible.