How to Make Pasta Salad

Learning how to make pasta salad is really as easy as using ingredients you have on hand or using whatever your imagination comes up with. I love pasta salad because it is so versatile. You can switch ingredients easily and create a totally different meal. Try some of these ideas to change up your pasta salad meal.

Pasta Salad Ingredient Ideas

Add meat such as diced chicken or beef strips for a full course meal. Also don't forget meats such as crab or tuna.
Try using a different dressing whether it is a mayonnaise based dressing or a vinaigrette you'll get a totally different flavor as well.
Take advantage of the different pasta shapes. You can use bowtie pasta, corkscrew, penne, etc. But don't forget other pasta salad choices such as mini ravioli or tortellini.
Use a lot of color in your salad for more nutrition and eye appeal. Tri color pasta, chopped tomatoes, carrots, black olives all are great color in a pasta salad.

How to Make Pasta Salad Recipes

Tortellini Pasta Salad

8 oz. frozen tortellini, cooked and cooled
1 cucumber, diced
1 tomato, diced
1/3 Cup feta cheese
1/3 Cup black olives, sliced
1/4 Cup chopped nuts
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Cook tortellini and allow to cool about 10 minutes. In salad bowl add cucumber, tomato, crumbled feta cheese and black olives. Drizzle olive oil over salad and toss. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle nuts over top.

BLT Pasta Salad Recipe

6 oz. elbow macaroni, cooked
8 slices bacon cooked, cut up
1 large Tomato cut up
4 Cups lettuce cut up
Dressing:
1 Cup mayo or salad dressing
1/4 Cup lemon juice from concentrate
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon
2 teaspoons sugar
In a salad bowl, add cooked macaroni and tomato. Stir together dressing ingredients and blend together. Pour over macaroni and chill in fridge. Before serving stir in lettuce and chopped bacon and serve immediately.

Beef Italian Dressing Pasta Salad

3 Cups pasta cooked and drained
2 teaspoons beef flavor bouillon
1 Cup Italian salad dressing
1 Cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 lb. Beef strips
2 Tablespoon vegetable oil
6 oz. provolone cheese, cubed
1/2 Cup sliced olives
Brown meat in 1 teaspoon bouillon in oil. Combine meat, pasta, salad dressing and remaining 1 teaspoon bouillon. Let stand 15 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Cover and chill. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

We love this recipe for 8 layer salad.

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Make it a Pasta Salad Night Not rated yet
In recent years pasta salads have taken center stage on salad bars everywhere. People are bringing them to potluck dinners, creating them for family reunions ...

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