Perfect pasta salad

This is my perfect pasta salad. Which is saying a lot, considering the fact that during summer one of my favorite hobbies is trying all kinds of pasta salads. There are endless combinations of ingredients: an orzo salad with slivered almonds, classic deli-style macaroni salad, Italian antipasto style salad, greek style with cucumbers and feta, etc. They’re all good; I’ve never come across an objectively bad pasta salad.

But this is the one where I eat every last piece left on my plate; the one where every bite is satisfying no matter want makes it onto my fork.

Pasta salad has three main parts – the pasta, the added stuff (aka the “fixins”), and the dressing. Depending on what you choose for all three parts, you’ll get very different flavors and textures.

The Pasta is the least risky part of the whole operation: no matter what shape or type you choose, it’s going to be good, and if it’s not, it’s likely not because of the pasta you chose. You really can choose whatever you like or have on hand.

The Added Stuff is what can make or break the whole salad. An odd pairing of ingredients can leave the salad feeling less homogenous and more like individual pieces of random ingredients that are better eaten by themselves. A good formula to keep in mind is to have something vinegar-y or brine-y (such as marinated things like mushrooms, artichokes, olives), something crunchy (such as cucumbers or celery), and something creamy or soft (such as cubed cheese or tomatoes).

One of my favorite additions to any pasta salad is sautéed zucchini. Is it really a pasta salad if there’s something cooked? Maybe, or maybe not. But it’s so delicious I don’t care.

The Dressing is also important in terms of pairing it correctly with your salad. You can never go wrong with simply drizzling some olive oil over everything and adding a sprinkle of vinegar.

But to make an actual vinaigrette (which is my preference most of the time), I add about 1/3 cup olive oil to a small jar with a spoonful of whole grain mustard and about 1/4 cup red wine vinegar. Shake vigorously and you’ll have an emulsified dressing that’s slightly creamy from the mustard but still bright. Taste and see if you prefer more vinegar or more oil.

Going full creamy is another option – substituting mayo or greek yogurt for the olive oil and adding a grated garlic clove with some dried herbs is my go-to when I want a white dressing. But this doesn’t work with all pasta salads. I find it works best on plain pasta that I’m eating alongside something like grilled chicken, in a simple pasta salad such as a caprese with just a few ingredients, or an extremely homogenous pasta salad where everything is cut small such as deli-style macaroni salad.

You’ll notice my perfect pasta salad uses two kinds of artichokes, obviously. The marinated kind in a jar offer a tangy, brine-y flavor which is lovely. But too many of these and the marinade almost makes a dressing, that you can’t control as much, so I like to do half a jar of marinated and a full can of plain artichokes packed in water. You’ll have to lightly squeeze out that excess water before adding to your salad. We treat our artichokes very seriously around here.

Perfect Pasta Salad
1 pound of large elbows or any shape pasta
2 small/medium sized zucchini, sliced into half moons
1 tomato, diced
6oz fresh mozzarella cheese, cubed
1 can of artichoke hearts + half a jar of marinated, sliced
1 can of mild green olives, sliced
Chopped parsley
Dressing made of olive oil, red wine vinegar, and whole grain mustard

1. Bring a large pot of very generously salted water to a boil. Add your pasta and cook until al dente.

2. Strain the pasta and lightly rinse it with cold water for just a few seconds – you just want to wash off some of the starch, but not so much that the pasta becomes slick and wet. Leave sitting in a colander and stir every few minutes.

3. Sauté zucchini in olive oil over high heat for just a couple minutes, until some of the pieces start to grab color. Transfer to your serving bowl and let them cool while you prep the other fixins.

4. Chop the tomato, mozzarella, and olives and transfer them to your serving bowl.

5. For the marinated artichokes, slice and add to your serving bowl. For the canned artichokes, lightly squeeze out excess water before slicing and adding to your serving bowl.

6. Add the chopped parsley and toss everything together.

7. Add the pasta little by little – you may not need the full pound.

8. Add half the dressing and taste – if you want more you can add the rest. Let sit in the fridge, and before serving taste it and drizzle with a little more olive oil and/or vinegar as needed.