Secrets for a great pasta salad — and 4 recipes to try out now

By Ali Slagle

The New York Times

There’s no reason pasta salad has to thud onto plates. A few tweaks — like outside-the-box shapes, livelier dressings and loads of vegetables — will make for a vibrant, make-ahead dish that’s anything but a dud. Here’s how to improve any pasta salad’s crunch, creaminess and character.

1. Swap in gnocchi and tortellini

Instead of defaulting to fusilli or farfalle for your pasta salad, consider store-bought potato gnocchi. Sear them in a hot, well-oiled skillet until the outsides are golden and crisp for a toasty crunch. Or boil cheese-filled tortellini or ravioli for pockets of creaminess. You could also add short, small pastas like orzo and ditalini for a riot of textures and flavors in every bite.

2. Double or triple the vegetables

A big part of pasta salad’s lovability is how it balances the soft tenderness of pasta with the bright freshness of vegetables. So add bite-size pieces of quick-cooking vegetables like green beans, asparagus, snap peas or frozen, unthawed peas to the pot in the last 2 to 3 minutes of the pasta cooking. Or right before serving, toss in some thinly sliced vegetables, like celery, radishes and red onion; delicate herbs like dill, mint, basil and parsley; or salad greens. One more option: Blend vegetables into the sauce for an extra-green pasta salad.

3. Marinate any tomatoes to concentrate their flavor

One small step can help your pasta salad taste even more like summer. Instead of tossing the chopped tomatoes straight into the pasta salad, first season them in a bowl with a big pinch of salt. If the tomatoes are bitter, add a small pinch of sugar, too. Let them sit for 15 to 30 minutes, or up to 3 hours. The result will be more concentrated tomatoey flavor as their juices flow. Then, toss the still-warm pasta in the tomato water so it can soak up that tangy taste of summer.

4. Replace some of the mayonnaise with yogurt or sour cream

For a fresh-tasting pasta salad, try swapping out some of the mayo for sour cream, Greek yogurt or buttermilk. The dairy’s acidity and tang will cut through the richness and thin the dressing without messing with the creaminess (or, as my colleague Alexa Weibel puts it, make your pasta salad “more glossy than gloopy”).

5. Add a milky cheese, like mozzarella or ricotta

Alongside chewy pasta and crisp vegetables, how lovely would it be to find bite-size blobs of fresh mozzarella, an oozing puddle of burrata or dollops of ricotta? Add them to salads that are dressed with a vinaigrette or a lighter dressing and could use a little plushness — mayo-slicked salads have that covered already.

6. Add a can of tuna or beans to make it a meal

Adding these pantry staples can turn a side of pasta salad into a main. In order not to smush the beans or flake the fish to smithereens, stir them into the salad after you toss the pasta in the dressing.

7. Taste and tweak your flavors

Pasta salads can be made ahead, but that doesn’t mean they’ll taste their best right out of the fridge. Cold temperatures can mute and shift flavors, and as the pasta sits, it can drink up so much of the dressing that your salad ends up dry.

To bring it back to its vibrant self, let your pasta salad sit at room temperature for a few minutes. Now taste it. If it’s bland, brighten with more acid (like lemon juice or vinegar) and salt. If it’s dry, drizzle with a little more oil and vinegar — or whatever ingredients make up your dressing. You can also save some of the original dressing to incorporate into the salad right before eating.

Pasta Salad With Marinated Tomatoes and Tuna

Fresh, quick-marinated tomatoes make the best sauces for pasta salad because not much needs to be done beyond tossing the tomatoes with hot pasta, salt and olive oil. The juices from the tomatoes and the heat create a gloriously glossy combination. Feel free to make this pasta salad ahead of time, then toss in flaked tuna right before serving.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

3 pints cherry tomatoes (about 2 pounds), halved

1/2 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 large shallot, thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 to 3 sprigs fresh oregano

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Kosher salt and black pepper

1 pound casarecce or other short pasta

2 (6-ounce) jars tuna packed in olive oil, drained

DIRECTIONS

1: Toss cherry tomatoes, olive oil, shallot, garlic, oregano and vinegar in a large bowl. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper and let marinate for at least 15 minutes.

2: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season generously with salt.

3: Add pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes, depending on the shape and brand of pasta. With a spider or slotted spoon, strain pasta directly into tomato mixture and toss to combine. Season to taste with more salt and pepper.

4: Stir in flakes of tuna and serve with a drizzle of olive oil on top. The pasta can be served hot or at room temperature.

Recipe by Sue Li.

Extra-Green Pasta Salad

This vibrant green pasta salad gets its color from a combination of spinach and basil, but you can swap the spinach for arugula for a more peppery finish. (Some of us need a little bite in our lives!). The miso in the sauce does a lot of the heavy lifting, imparting a salty, almost Parmesan-like quality. You can eat the salad immediately or chilled for a summer picnic. If making it a day ahead, don’t add the basil garnish and cheese until you’re ready to serve.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

Salt and pepper

1 pound short-cut pasta (such as rigatoni, campanelle or fusilli)

3 cups/8 ounces sugar snap peas

1 cup frozen English peas

3 packed cups/3 1/2 ounces baby spinach

2 packed cups/1 1/2 ounces basil leaves, plus more for serving

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons white miso

1 garlic clove, crushed

Zest and juice from 1 lemon

4 ounces Parmesan (or other firm salty cheese, such as feta or aged Gouda), thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS

1: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then throw in a handful of salt. Add the pasta, give it a stir and cook until al dente. Just before draining, add the snap peas and English peas to the boiling water to barely soften, 20 to 30 seconds. Drain the pasta and peas, and rinse lightly with cold water; set aside.

2: While the pasta water comes to a boil, place the spinach, basil, oil, miso, garlic, and lemon zest and juice in a blender. Blend to a bright green puree. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and a few grinds of pepper, then blend again.

3: Transfer the puree to a large bowl that is big enough to toss all the pasta. Add the pasta and peas, and toss until coated. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the Parmesan and more basil leaves. Toss once more before serving.

Recipe by Andy Baraghani.

Pasta Salad With Summer Tomatoes, Basil and Olive Oil

This summery dish walks the line between tangy, juicy tomato salad and hearty pasta salad. To make it, ripe tomatoes are marinated with capers, garlic, basil and lots of good olive oil until they almost fall apart, creating a wonderfully soupy dressing for the pasta. Then the pasta is added while still hot to mix; as it cools, it absorbs all the bright flavors. If you can, choose heirloom tomatoes in an array of hues, and serve this in a glass bowl to show it off. Cubes of fresh mozzarella, or bocconcini, make for creamy addition. Add them just before serving, so the heat of the pasta doesn’t melt the cheese.

Makes 8 to 10 servings

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds very ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup drained capers or sliced olives

3 garlic cloves, finely grated or mashed to a paste

Kosher salt, as needed

1/4 teaspoon black pepper, plus more as needed

1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

1 large basil sprig, plus 1/2 cup torn fresh basil leaves

3 oil-packed anchovy fillets, minced (optional)

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving

1 pound short pasta, such as campanelle, fusilli or farfalle

DIRECTIONS

1: In a large bowl, toss together the tomatoes, capers, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, black pepper, red-pepper flakes, the whole basil sprig and anchovies if using. Let sit for 5 minutes, then stir in 1/2 cup oil. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. The tomatoes should be aggressively seasoned. Let tomatoes marinate for at least 1 hour and preferably 2 to 3.

2: Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until it is just al dente, usually a minute less than the package instructions. Drain well. Add to bowl with tomatoes while still warm and toss well. Let pasta cool, soaking up the dressing. Let pasta sit at room temperature for at least another hour and up to 6 hours before serving. Or chill for up to 24 hours; bring to room temperature before serving.

3: Just before serving, gently fold in torn basil leaves. Top with more olive oil and cracked black pepper before serving.

Recipe by Melissa Clark.

Corn and Miso Pasta Salad

The interplay between the crunch of the celery, the chew of the pasta and the pop of the corn kernels makes this (potentially vegan) pasta salad a textural pleasure to eat. Pasta salads that you can easily eat with a spoon reign supreme, and ditalini’s petite shape — which mimics the size of fresh corn kernels — makes it the perfect pasta candidate. Miso adds savory notes and deep umami flavor to the mayonnaise dressing. This recipe calls for Calabrian chile, but the miso-mayo mix is versatile: You can substitute anything from chopped chipotles in adobo to a spoonful of gochujang for a hit of heat.

Makes 4 to 6 servings (about 8 cups)

INGREDIENTS

Kosher salt

8 ounces ditalini pasta

4 ears fresh corn, shucked and washed

2 large stalks celery, peeled and finely chopped

2/3 cup finely minced fresh chives

Granulated sugar

4 1/2 tablespoons white or yellow miso

4 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus more to taste

1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped Calabrian chiles (or minced chipotles in adobo, or gochujang, or sambal oelek), plus more to taste

1/2 cup mayonnaise (vegan, if desired)

DIRECTIONS

1: Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add ditalini to the water and boil according to package instructions. Drain the pasta, and rinse under cold water until cool. Drain well and set aside.

2: Grab a large bowl and invert a smaller bowl inside of it. Hold the corn upright on the center of the smaller bowl. Using a sharp chef’s knife, slice downward to shave the kernels off the cob. Discard the cobs and remove the smaller bowl. Add the cooked ditalini, plus the celery and chives. Season with a large pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar; toss to combine.

3: In the smaller bowl, whisk to combine the miso, lemon juice and Calabrian chile. Add the mayonnaise and whisk until fully incorporated.

4: Combine with the corn mixture and toss. Taste and adjust seasoning with more lemon juice, chile, salt or sugar as needed. Store refrigerated (up to 3 days) until serving.

Recipe by Ham El-Waylly.