A pasta salad so good that I probably won’t create another for a very, very long time. Here’s what we’ve got – charred asparagus, caramelized leeks, burst cherry tomatoes, salami, olives, fresh mozzarella, toasted walnuts, lots of herbs, and a garlic oil vinaigrette. It’s truly the only pasta salad recipe you’ll ever need.
When it comes to pasta salad, the fresher and bigger on flavor, the better. And this one hits all the marks.
Trust me, this needs to be your go-to recipe for all of the backyard gatherings and summer picnics to come! It’s one of my favorite new recipes to hit the blog, mainly because I know it’s something anyone can make…yet it still feels really exciting and special.
Essential Pasta Salad Elements
The caramelized vegetables create lots of depth and sweetness, while the salami, olives, and mozzarella add in a good amount of texture and pops of different flavors (we’ve got rich, salty, briny, and fresh).
The toasted walnuts are a definite must for a nice nutty crunch, and then the mound of fresh herbs is a crucial component to brighten everything up.
It all gets pulled together with a rich garlic oil vinaigrette, which is a much welcomed change of pace from the somewhat generic “italian seasoning” taste that most pasta salad dressings have.
The one ingredient, though, that will make or break the impact of this pasta salad is…salt! As in most dishes, without just the right amount of salt, the flavors of the dish won’t be powerful enough. The taste will be lacking and won’t give off that full-flavored intensity that makes you coming back bite after bite.
You want to add salt at each of these stages when working through the pasta salad recipe:
to the pasta water when cooking the pasta (a very, very generous amount here)
when caramelizing each vegetable, individually
when making the vinaigrette (a good vinaigrette should taste a bit too salty on its own; that way, when it’s dispersed throughout the pasta salad and waters down a bit, it’ll still hold its flavor)
at the very end, after tasting a bite or two of the finished dish, to adjust the salt to be just right for your own taste
I hope you love this pasta salad recipe! As always, let me know if you make it and what you think!!
a pasta salad full of charred asparagus, caramelized leeks, burst cherry tomatoes, toasted walnuts, olives, salami, fresh mozzarella, lots of herbs, and a garlic oil vinaigrette
serves: 6
Author:Kayla Howey
Ingredients
Scale
1 lb dried orecchiette pasta
kosher salt, as needed
extra virgin olive oil, as needed
4 oz walnuts
1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed and peeled
2 leeks, thinly sliced
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 pint cherry tomatoes
4 large cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp dijon mustard
¾ cup castelvetrano olives, halved
½ lb fresh mozzarella (bocconcini), quartered
6 oz genoa salami, diced
3 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tbsp chopped chives
8 leaves basil, torn
Instructions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a heaping palmful of salt. Add the orecchiette and cook according to the box’s instructions. Drain the pasta, rinse under cold water, and let drain again. Transfer the pasta to a large mixing bowl and toss with a light coating of olive oil. Set aside.
In a large cast-iron skillet, add the walnuts over low heat. Allow the walnuts to toast until golden and fragrant, a few minutes or so. Transfer the walnuts to a cutting board, let cool slightly, roughly chop, and set aside.
Wipe out the skillet so it’s free of crumbs. Heat over medium. Add enough olive oil to just coat the bottom of the skillet. Add the asparagus. Season with a pinch of salt. Let cook until caramelized and tender, flipping often. Transfer the asparagus to the cutting board, let cool slightly, and slice into 1” pieces.
To the same skillet, add a little more olive oil. Add the leeks and repeat the process. Transfer the leeks to a plate.
Add the ½ cup of olive oil to the skillet. Lower the heat to medium-low. Add the cherry tomatoes. Season with a pinch of salt. Allow the tomatoes to cook slowly until they burst and are soft, about 10 minutes. Once fully caramelized, add the cherry tomatoes to the plate of leeks.
Lower the heat all the way and add the garlic to the remaining olive oil. Let cook for 20 seconds. Turn off the heat and set aside.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the white wine vinegar, honey, and mustard. Slowly drizzle in all of the garlic oil, including the minced garlic itself, whisking until emulsified. Season with a generous pinch of salt.
Add the asparagus, leeks, cherry tomatoes, walnuts, olives, mozzarella, salami, parsley, chives, and basil to the pasta. Drizzle in the vinaigrette. Toss really well. Taste the pasta salad and season with more salt if needed.
If you are using fresh herbs: be sure to make the dressing at least a couple of hours ahead of time or the night before. This will allow the full flavor of the herbs to be infused with the other ingredients.
The pasta, vegetables, and cheeses get time to absorb the dressing and take on additional flavor. They absorb the seasoning from the dressing, ensuring every bite is as flavorful as possible.
Luckily for you, there's a way to avoid the stress of making sure your pasta is cooked just right, exactly when you want it. With a bit of oil, a Ziploc bag, some water, and your favorite pasta, you can cook noodles a day in advance and forget about them until a few minutes before serving.
I find that the higher time range listed on box instructions is usually just about right for pasta salad. Let your pasta cool completely before tossing it with the other ingredients. If it's still warm, the hot pasta will start to cook and wilt the veggies.
If you're making a dish that will be served chilled or at room temp—think cold soba, rice noodles, pasta salad—you do want to rinse so that you get toothsome (sorry) individual strands rather than one big gummy clump. Certain types of noodles benefit from a rinse in almost all applications.
For the most part, pasta salad will last between 4 to 7 days if you store it correctly. Always use sealed containers or freezer-quality storage bags. (You can also freeze it for up to three months – you can read more on freezing pasta salad in the section below.)
You don't eat pasta and salad together. You eat pasta and then you eat the salad. It's a primo piatto, meaning it's a first course, which you can't translate as an appetizer. Pasta is not an appetizer, it's often the main part of the meal, but it is served as a separate course.
Vinegar and other acidic ingredients do strange things to the flavor of pasta when used in salad-level amounts. Ever notice an irritating acerbic aftertaste just about every time you've eaten pasta salad? That's the vinegar announcing itself, and it's not pleasant.
Your ingredients can decide whether your salad turns out average or extraordinary, Jamie Simpson, executive chef liaison at The Chef's Garden, told Allrecipes. "Restaurant-quality salads start with restaurant-quality ingredients," he said.
So, how can you prevent this? Luckily, there is one simple solution and it involves only adding half of the macaroni salad dressing the night before and then adding the second half right before serving.
It is OK to store hot foods in the fridge. You do not have to wait for the foods to cool before you put them away. In fact, it's better to store them right away while they're still hot than to forget them and leave them sitting at room temperature for too long.
Start with a teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice, mix it in well and taste, then decide if you need more. Generally by adding some stronger flavored vegetables such as bell pepper, pimento, onion, green onion, chives, white pepper, slight amounts of mustard, paprika, black olives, sweet relish, or parsley.
Anything perishable should go into the fridge within two hours. If perishables are sitting in temperatures of more than 90 degrees, the time limit to get them into the fridge goes down to one hour. Examples include leftovers, boiled or fried rice, pasta salad, cut fruit, and poultry, meat and seafood.
When you're making cold pasta salads, it's helpful to rinse your cooked pasta because it's going to lower the temperature of the pasta, which is ideal given that it's going to be served chilled — often alongside other cool and/or raw ingredients.
Address: Apt. 915 481 Sipes Cliff, New Gonzalobury, CO 80176
Phone: +6773780339780
Job: Sales Executive
Hobby: Gaming, Jogging, Rugby, Video gaming, Handball, Ice skating, Web surfing
Introduction: My name is Carmelo Roob, I am a modern, handsome, delightful, comfortable, attractive, vast, good person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
