You can go Asian, Mediterranean, Italian, or any number of other cooking styles. Most of them will also work well warm, if you want to use them in cooler weather.
Although different recipes call for different shapes of pasta, most Italian pasta noodles are interchangeable. Do not exchange Soba noodles for rotini though. Asian noodles often have different textures and tastes and should not be swapped for a typical Italian pasta.
Most of these recipes also call for specific vegetables but again that’s very flexible. If you just picked peppers from your garden, feel free to throw them in. The basic elements of the salad are pick a noodle, some vegetables, and a dressing.
Then toss in additives like feta or goat cheese, olives, stuffed olives (I like the ones with garlic in them!), or fresh herbs. So, start with these basic ideas and then embellish them with your own.
1. Cilantro Lime Pasta Salad
This first salad comes from Better Homes and Gardens. It contains chicken which will make it more filling and likely better suited to entree than side dish. For a side dish you may wish to omit the chicken.
- 4 oz of uncooked rotini
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves
- 2 TB olive oil
- 1 TB sugar
- ½ tsp each of salt, garlic powder, and ground cumin
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 pound of skinless, boneless chicken breasts cooked and diced
- 1 ½ cups halved grape tomatoes
- 1 large red onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium mango, peeled, seeded, and chopped into ½ inch pieces
- 1 medium avocado, peeled, seeded, and chopped into ½ inch pieces
- ¾ cup each of chopped red and yellow bell peppers
- 1 jalapeno pepper – seeded, and finely chopped – be careful and wear plastic or rubber gloves when working with hot peppers. If some gets on your skin, wash thoroughly with soap and water. Do not get the juice in your eyes. (optional)
Cook pasta, drain and set aside to cool.
Mix the oil, sugar, spices, lime juice and cilantro in a blender and puree. Mix together pasta, chicken, fruit and vegetables in a large bowl. Toss with dressing and refrigerate until cold. Garnish with lime wedges if desired.
2. Soba Noodle Salad with Shrimp, Snow Peas, and Carrots
Here’s an Asian salad from Good Housekeeping.
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 TB low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tsp fresh, grated ginger
- 1 TB distilled white vinegar
- 1 tsp Asian sesame oil
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 (8oz) package of Soba noodles, uncooked
- 1 ½ cups shredded or matchstick carrots
- 1 lb shelled and deveined jumbo shrimp (raw)
- 4 oz fresh snow peas (strings removed)
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Mix spices and peanut butter together in a small bowl and set aside. Heat a covered, 5-6 quart saucepot of water and one tsp salt until boiling. Add noodles and cook for 4 minutes. Add carrots and continue to cook for another minute.
Add shrimp and snow peas and cook for two more minutes. Reserve ½ pasta water and drain the rest of the water off. Place pot ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk ½ cup of reserved pasta water into the peanut sauce mixture along with chopped cilantro leaves.
Toss dressing with other ingredients and chill.
3. Greek Pasta Salad
This is another one from Good Housekeeping. It features a great, homemade lemon oregano dressing that is also nice on chicken.
- 12 oz fusilli, cooked, drained, and chilled
- 1 seedless cucumber cut into chunks
- 2 plum tomatoes, chopped
- 2 roasted bell peppers, seeded and chopped
- ½ small onion, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup pitted, Kalamata olives, chopped
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
- ½ cup of lemon oregano dressing (recipe follows)
Lemon Oregano Dressing (makes 2/3 cup):
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ a crushed clove of garlic
- ¼ tsp each of salt and pepper
- 1/3 olive oil
Mix all dressing ingredients together with a whisk. Reserve ½ cup for use on salad and set the balance aside for use in another dish. Toss together pasta, vegetables and dressing and chill.
4. Roasted Asparagus & Tomato Penne Salad with Goat Cheese
This is a fancier recipe from Cooking Light. It’s perfect for when guests come over.
- 2 cups of uncooked penne
- 12 asparagus spears
- 12 cherry tomatoes
- 4 TB olive oil, divided
- 3/8 tsp kosher salt, divided
- ½ tsp black pepper, divided
- 1 TB minced shallots
- 2 TB fresh lemon juice
- 1 TB Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp dried Herbes de Provence
- 1 ½ tsp honey
- ½ cup pitted, chopped Kalamata olives
- 2 cups baby arugula
- ½ cup (approximately 2 oz) crumbled goat cheese
Preheat oven to 400 F. Cook pasta on stove top as directed on package, drain, and set aside. Toss asparagus and tomatoes in 1 TB olive oil, and ¼ tsp each of salt and pepper. Then arrange them in a single layer on a flat pan such as a cookie sheet.
Bake at 400 F for 6 minutes, until asparagus is crisp tender. Remove the asparagus from the pan and set aside. Put the pan of tomatoes back in the oven and cook for an additional 4 minutes. Remove tomatoes from pan and let asparagus and tomatoes stand for ten minutes.
Halve tomatoes and cut asparagus into one inch pieces.
Whisk together shallots, lemon juice, Dijon, Herbes de Provence and honey. Add in remaining 3 TB olive oil, 1/8 tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper and continue to mix. Place pasta, vegetables, and olives in a large bowl.
Toss them with the dressing. Sprinkle with goat cheese and chill.
5. Rotini, Summer Squash, and Prosciutto Salad with Rosemary Dressing
This is another Cooking Light recipe that would be perfect for a gathering of friends on a hot summer’s evening.
- 3 cups uncooked rotini (about 8 oz)
- 1 ½ cups each of coarsely chopped zucchini and summer squash
- 4 oz thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped
- 3 TB chopped red onion
- 2 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, chopped
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp fresh ground pepper
- 2 TB white balsamic vinegar (you can use red but it won’t look as nice)
- 1 TB olive oil
- 1 ½ tsp Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
Cook pasta according to package directions. During the last minute of cooking, add in the zucchini and summer squash. Drain and rinse under cold water. Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add prosciutto and cook for approximately five minutes, until crispy.
Stir frequently. In a large bowl combine pasta mixture, prosciutto, cheese, and onion.
Toss with salt and pepper. In a separate dish combine remaining ingredients together. Toss them with bowl mixture and chill until ready to serve.
One of the other great things about pasta salads is they make great leftovers to take to work the next day. Enjoy!
Cover photo: thehub.net
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