Cold Pasta Salad Recipes ⋆ Gourmet Food Channel

For picnics, parties, and for a meal at home that you can embellish in a hundred ways: We encourage you to experiment with your own ideas beyond the cold pasta salad recipes presented here.

Cold pasta salad is THE classic potluck dish. No other simple recipe can fill up and satisfy so well. So why is cold pasta salad so often overlooked as a side-dish at home?
In the summer, cold food also offers a refreshing break from the heat.
Experiment with new ideas and think “outside of the box.”

Cold pasta salads can be so much more than just pasta combined with peas and mayonnaise.

Even if the standard recipes in your cold pasta salad repertoire are tasty, we encourage you to try new variations: add a splash of vinaigrette, for example, or season the salad with stock and a little sherry.

The exact balance among the different ingredients in cold pasta salad recipes has to be just right. The additions have to blend together while still revealing their individual strengths, both in their flavors and in their form and consistency.

Three cold pasta salad recipes:

Savory fresh, with feta cheese and pears:

The Recipe

Ingredients:

(per person)

3 ounces (80 g) farfalle (bow-tie) pasta

2 ounces (60 g) feta cheese

1 handful arugula

1 large tomato, seeded

1 scallion

1 tsp. capers

1 tsp. raspberry puree or raspberry jam

1 small pear

Oil, salt, lemon

Preparation:

Cook the farfalle (bow tie pasta) al dente and allow it to cool.

Dice the tomatoes into small cubes, and do the same with the feta cheese. Clean the scallion and slice into small pieces.

Pare and core the pear, cut into quarters and cut crosswise into small slices.

Mix them all together with the capers, the arugula and the pureed raspberries together in a bowl. Alternatively, you can divide the pasta on plates, and arrange the capers, pureed raspberries and a few arugula leaves on top of the feta cheese & pear noodle salad.

Cold pasta salad with leeks and smoked salmon:

The Recipe

Ingredients:

(per person)

3 ounces (80 g) macaroni

1 leek

1 Tbsp. sour cream

3 ounces (80 g) smoked salmon

lemon juice, pepper

Preparation:

Cook the macaroni al dente and allow it to cool.

Cut the smoked salmon into strips. Quarter the leek so that it is still attached to the stalk, wash thoroughly, and chop into small pieces. Braise the leek in olive oil and salt lightly.

Add the pasta and the sour cream and remove from heat, and then let the salmon warm up in the mixture. Season with lemon juice, pepper and salt as needed.