Making pasta salad is not rocket science. You only have to mix pasta with toppings and a dressing. That being said, a world of possibilities is out there; all it takes is a little creativity, and varying the flavours and textures in order to prepare a delicious pasta salad for lunches—and even dinners. Here are some basics to remember when making the perfect salad.

1. Choose the right pasta

Opt for short pastas. Since most small pastas are curved or folded, they can cradle more dressing. If you go with a long pasta for your salad, it is best to eat it right after preparing it. Once cooled, the pasta may clump together and will be difficult to separate. For another option, choose stuffed pasta. This will make your salad even more nourishing and you can balance the flavour of the stuffing with your toppings.

• Short pasta: macaroni, penne, farfalle, orecchiette
• Long pasta: soba noodles, rice noodles, ramen noodles
• Stuffed pasta: tortellini and cheese ravioli

2. Vary the toppings

Play with the textures in your pasta salad so that it’s more interesting and every bite is different. A salad with all the ingredients cut into the same size and shape can quickly become redundant and boring. Use different shapes by cutting the ingredients into a dice, pieces, quarters or slices, for example. You can also adjust the size of the toppings to that of the pasta. But what to use as pasta salad toppings? Here are some ideas:

• Protein: Cooked chicken, boiled eggs, smoked salmon, pork tenderloin, marinated tofu, canned tuna, cold cuts
• Cheeses: creamy ricotta, bocconcini pearls, crumbled feta, diced cheddar
• Fruits and vegetables: Anything you want!
• Products marinated in oil: artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, hearts of palm, eggplants, peppers

3. The dressing

Have you ever prepared a pasta salad that was dry after one or two days in the fridge? The dressing didn’t disappear, it was simply absorbed by the pasta, which “drinks up” the liquids that surround it. With that in mind, you can add a little more dressing than necessary, but the best solution is to hydrate your pasta salad just before eating it with olive oil, mayonnaise or lemon juice. You could also incorporate wetter ingredients like pickled fruits or vegetables into your salad. For a change from the quintessential combination of oil and mayonnaise, think about the type of salad you want:

• Creamy dressing: plain yogurt, ricotta cheese, labneh
• Asian dressing: miso, sesame oil, sambal oelek, soy sauce
• Classic dressing: Dijon mustard, vinegars, lemon juice, oils

Our favourite recipes

Now, do you want to make all kinds of pasta salads? Here are some delicious and easy-to-prepare recipes: