The big-batch easy pasta salad I make when I’m short on time. People always ask why it tastes so good. I’ll let you in on my secrets! (No bottled dressing involved.)
My big, easy pasta salad
Newsflash! You don’t need a gazillion add-ins to make a great pasta salad. You don’t need pricey ingredients like baby bocconcini, you don’t need to buy multiple bunches of herbs (and just use a teeny amount of each) and you don’t need much time.
All you need to do is toss hot, freshly cooked pasta in a simple, tangy, Dijon cider vinegar dressing then set it aside while the pasta cools. You will be shocked how much flavour the pasta soaks up! Which means, before we’ve even added anything, your pasta salad is already great. So whatever you toss in will make it even better!
Pasta salad tips galore!
Also today – more pasta salad tips. I feel it says a lot about me that I have so many thoughts about a simple pasta salad! 😂
Overly soft pasta – Cook the pasta until it’s well beyond al dente and is overly-soft. Because pasta goes hard when it cools down, and even harder when fridge cold. Nobody likes rock hard pasta salad!
Smidge of honey – To take the edge off the sharpness of the vinegar so we can get away with using less oil in the dressing. I just don’t think pasta salads should be excessively oily. Even with my macaroni salad, I lighten the mayo dressing with a good amount of yogurt.
Streamlined ingredient combination – A selection of add-ins chosen to get all the flavour and texture I seek in a pasta salad using the minimum number of ingredients I can get away with. Keeping well overnight also essential! My picks: juicy pops (tomato), subtle crunch from finely sliced cucumber, briney spark (olives), a treat (feta) and a finishing touch (basil, or any of the numerous suggestions in the recipe notes).
Of course, feel free to wing-it, use what you’ve got and what you love. Such is the beauty of pasta salads – the versatility!
Here’s what you need for this pasta salad
1. the pasta
Any shortish and medium pasta will work here, though pasta shapes with nooks and crannies for the little chopped up bits of olives and feta to get caught in are especially ideal. Think – shells, orecchiette, twirls and bow ties (farfalle). I chose bow ties because – fun!
2. PASTA SALAD ADD-INS
And here’s what I put into the pasta salad (see above for the why).
Cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes – Or chop large tomatoes
Kalamata olives roughly chopped. Brings pops of briny goodness into this pasta salad. Excellent shortcut as it adds salt, tang and sharp freshness which means I don’t feel the need to add anything onion-y in this recipe ie. one less ingredient to chop. For this salad I like to roughly chop the olives so it disperses better all throughout the pasta salad. Higher impact using less olives!
💡 TIP: Kalamata olives really are so much tastier and have a more pleasant soft tender than black olives which are cheaper for a reason!
Cucumbers – I like to finely slice them so they flop a bit and meld to become one with the pasta, rather than using larger chunks that release bursts of water and dilutes the flavour in your mouth when you bite into them. Yes, these are the sort of things that I care about -> Cooking Nerd Alert! 🫣
Feta – It’s a general rule in my life that every salad (other than basic plain side salads) should have some sort of “treat” in it, whether it be nuts or croutons, a mountain of crisped panko or finely grated parmesan. Feta plays that role in today’s pasta salad.
💡 TIP: Not all feta is created equal! Feta made in Greece and labelled “PDO” (“Protected Designation of Origin”) are a step up from the more economic options offered at grocery stores. Try it once and forever be converted.
Basil or another finishing touch – I like to finish off this pasta salad with a finishing touch which puts it in “take to gatherings” territory. Here in Australia, we’re pretty lucky, basil is available and reasonably priced most of the year around. However, if I can’t get it (or won’t pay the price for it), here are other things I use instead which plays the same role:
– Another fresh herb: dill (first choice), or parsley or parsley + mint (second choice);
– Toasted pine nuts: I like to roughly chop half to really get the bits well dispersed throughout;
– Dried oregano: I add this into my dressing to give it an extra hit of flavour to compensate. This is my last resort fall-back, because dried oregano is a pantry staple. Then I tell people it’s a Greek Pasta Salad, and totally get away with it!
3. THE dijon-cider vinegar DRESSING
I specifically make this dressing using pantry staples so I can make this pasta salad anytime without going to the store. It gets a great hit of flavour from Italian herbs (customisable), two plump garlic cloves and a smidge of Dijon mustard.
Heads up: the dressing is quite sharp and intense by itself. But it has to be because it gets tossed through a LOT of stuff so it gets really diluted and we end up with the perfect amount of flavour in every bite!
Extra virgin olive oil – You don’t need to use a really high quality one for this pasta salad, like I sometimes recommend for salad dressings. But just be sure to use extra virgin olive oil which has more flavour than regular olive oil.
Apple cider vinegar – My go-to vinegar for dressings. Not too sharp, mild flavour and very economical.
Dijon mustard – This thickens the dressing a touch so it coats the pasta and vegetables better as well as adding a little flavour. It’s not a dominant flavour, it’s a background flavour.
Honey – Just 2 teaspoons takes the edge off the sharpness of the vinegar so we can make a far less oily dressing. This recipe uses 1/3 cup vinegar with 1/2 cup oil (2: 3 ratio), which has the right amount of oil for my taste. However, it was a little sharp and an easy way to dial that down without adding more oil is to add a touch of something sweet (honey, in this case).
In contrast, for typical western salad dressings, 1/3 cup vinegar would usually call for 1 cup of oil (1 : 3 ratio) which makes this pasta salad far too oily for my taste.
Italian herb mix – A standard spice mix at grocery stores, a pre made mix of herbs and spices that saves me reaching for 7 different jars. You could easily switch to another herb mix like Herbs de Provence, or use just dried oregano or finely chopped fresh herbs (dill immediately comes to mind).
2 garlic cloves – You’ll love the smell of the garlic when it gets tossed through the hot pasta!
Salt and pepper – We don’t need much salt, just 3/4 teaspoon for this entire big batch because we get salt from the feta and olives too.
How to make this Big, Easy Pasta Salad
If you’ve got decent chopping skills, you’ll be able to get the add-ins chopped while the pasta is cooking. Which basically means your active cooking / prep time is barely 15 minutes which is highly efficient for this amount of food! (It will easily serve 5 to 6 as a meal, many more as part of a buffet spread at a gathering).
Dressing – Shake the Dressing ingredients in a jar.
Overcook the pasta – There’s a reason for this strange sounding instruction!!! We want to cook the pasta until it’s beyond al dente so it is very soft because pasta gets firmer when it cools down, and even harder when refrigerated. Nobody wants rock-hard pasta in their pasta salad!!
So cook the pasta until it is very soft, about 2 to 3 minutes beyond the time directed on the packet, which would be unpleasantly soft for a pasta dish served hot. But once your pasta salad is dressed and cooled to room temperature or refrigerated overnight, the pasta that was overly soft when hot is the perfect texture when cold!
Flavour absorption – Pour the hot pasta into a big bowl (big enough to toss the pasta salad with all the vegetables added). Pour over half the Dressing then toss well.
Then leave the pasta to soak up the flavour of the Dressing until it cools down to room temperature, around 40 minutes. Toss once or twice, it you remember.
Toss – Add the tomato, cucumber, feta and olives. Pour over remaining Dressing and toss well. Expect some feta crumbling – some chunks, some crumbled is good!
Basil last – Tear the basil leaves roughly with your hands then toss through.
Serve! Pour the pasta salad into a large serving bowl. Then dig in!
Matters of storage and make ahead
As all good pasta salads should be, this is excellent served freshly made, just as good (some say even better) the next day, and still very, very good for another 2 days.
If I’m making ahead intentionally to take to a gathering, I will keep the basil leaves separate and throw them in at the least minute so they are nice and green. But for leftovers, it really doesn’t bother me in the slightest that the basil becomes discoloured.
Whether you serve it freshly made or tomorrow, I recommend serving it at room temperature! As with most foods, you just can’t taste the flavours as well when it’s fridge cold. Though when I need to eat right now, it certainly doesn’t deter me from eating it straight from the fridge! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Nagi’s Big, Easy Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 500g/ 1 lb bow tie pasta (farfalle) , or other short/medium pasta (Note 1)
Add-ins (7 cups "anything" – Note 2)
- 2 cucumbers , halved lengthways and finely sliced (~17cm/7" long, sliced 2mm / 1/16", I use a mandolin)
- 3 cups (500g) cherry or grape tomatoes , halved (or chop 4 regular tomatoes)
- 1/3 cup roughly chopped Kalamata olives (3/4 cup whole pitted or 1/2 cup sliced, then chop)
- 200g/ 7oz Greek feta , cut into 6mm / 1/4" batons (they will crumble a bit, this is good)
- 1 packed cup basil leaves , torn by hand (Note 2 for alternatives)
Dressing
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar (Note 3)
- 2 garlic cloves , minced using garlic press or very finely minced using a knife
- 2 tsp dijon mustard (can omit)
- 2 tsp honey (sub maple syrup or 1 tsp sugar, Note 4)
- 1 1/2 tsp Italian herbs mix (Note 5)
- 3/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
Summary directions
- Cook pasta until soft, toss with 2/3 Dressing, cool. Toss with everything else except basil, then add basil. Serve!
Full directions
- Dressing – Shake the Dressing ingredients in a large jar. It should be sharp, the flavour mellows once tossed.
- Cook pasta until soft – Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Cook the pasta until it is very soft, about 2 – 3 minutes longer than the time on the packet but taste to check because packet directions have been known to lie! Pasta firms up when it's cold (nobody likes hard, cold pasta!), so cook the pasta until extra soft.
- Flavour soak – Drain the pasta very well, shaking off excess water. Transfer into a large bowl. Give the Dressing a good shake then pour over about two-thirds. Toss well, then leave the pasta to soak up the dressing as it cools (~40 minutes).
- Toss – Add the tomato, cucumber, feta and olives. Pour over the remaining Dressing. Toss well. Add basil, toss again.
- Serve – Tumble into big serving bowl. Dig in!
Recipe Notes:
1. Pasta shape – Shells, twirls, orecchiette are ideal. See in post for thoughts. I encourage you to use a shape that has nooks and crannies for little bits of olives and feta to get caught in! 2. Alternative add-ins: Feel free to use your favourites! Other fresh veg, antipasto-ey things. Here are specific “best sub” suggestions to keep the flavour profile similar to my recipe:
- Cucumber – celery
- Tomato – Grilled or baked red capsicum/red peppers and zucchini hunks
- Olives – capers, finely sliced red onion
- Basil alternatives I use:
- Equal first choice: 1/2 cup roughly chopped dill or 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts (half roughly chopped)
- Second choice: 1/3 cup finely chopped parsley leaves or 1/4 cup each parsley and mint leaves (finely chopped)
- Fall back: Add 1 teaspoon dried oregano into the Dressing.
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Did you jump down here to check out what Dozer is up to before checking out the recipe?? Busted! But – you know I secretly whole heartedly approve. What recipe?? 😂
When you hear a pathetic wail from the front of the house and open the door to see this:
The door closed on him when he waddled outside without my knowledge to do something extraordinary (no doubt), and he was fretting.
At least I know I don’t have to worry about him running away these days!!! Too old, too slow, too much of a home boy. 🥰
And later that day, back at our old stomping ground Bayview dog beach in the Northern Beaches, saying hi to Jeff the friendly local who lives at the dog park. Jeff is well! Still regaling everyone with terrible jokes (he takes sooo long to get to the punchline! 😂) and looking after the park like it’s his own backyard. We are so lucky to have him as part of our community. 🙂
There was a recipe?!
Love you Dozer ♥️
😂 Sometimes I go into my own posts just to see what I posted about Dozer that day 😂
Thank you Nagi & Dozer for always bringing a ray of sunshine to our day. Love your easy to follow step by step recipes and explanations (the overcooked pasta!). Love hearing about Dozer’s antics and how caring you are for others (Jeff). Bless you both 🙂
Thanks for your lovely message Devanne! N x
Love t0 see Jeff is well as can be Love to you and DOZER
He’s so good! I saw him this morning as well. N x
I love Nagi’s recipes, so well explained and most of the ingredients are in the pantry. I have one of books and have cooked more from it than any other cook boook. 🥰
Makes me so happy hearing that! 🙂 N x
Just look at Dozer’s face, it explains it all. 🙂 I do look at your recipe briefly, scoot down to “what’s up w/Dozer,” and my smile for the day begins. I’m aware that if Dozer is good- you are too.
Thank you Nagi for your sharing of your generous self w/the world with “all” that you do. You not only bring positivity to our lives, you’re an example of how to conquer fear & hard times w/pure effort, determination & love. Thank you, you’re simply the Best, w/love! 🙂
He he it’s SO true, Dozer’s well being dictates my mood!! 😂
Of course I did. I’ll bet most of us do. Dozer is important to those of us who’ve followed him—sorry, you—for years. We cheer when he does something incredible; laugh at his foibles & endearing qualities and definitely fretted when he was unwell.
😂 Message of the day! (And he really does do so many extraordinary things 😂)
Haha! Busted! Yes, you caught me. Been doing it for years. Dozer comes first!
GOOD!!! Maybe I should start putting him at the TOP of posts!😂
Yes. We all love you and your great recipes and great notes but Dozer IS the star. Would love to be able to pet him at the park (but it’s a long way from Myrtle Beach )
He does get a lot of pats from friendly locals at the dog park!! In return, they get a slobbery and often very wet sandy smear on their legs (their fault for getting too close to him! 😂)
Yes I know the feel of a wet, sandy tale wagging! But the kisses are great, better if you have a towel handy 🙂
I’m not normally a big fan of pasta salad; but I enjoyed this and will be making again. I forgot to buy olives so replaced with thinly sliced red onion and red pepper. I’m a big fan of Greek salad so this was good as it’s basically a Greek salad with pasta. Thanks for yet another amazing recipe which I will continue to use!
So delighted to hear you enjoyed this Caroline! It is definitely not as heavy as usual pasta salads because no mayo, less oil, and tangier dressing 🙂 Thanks for sharing your feedback! N x
I admit nothing without my lawyer or my psychiatrist present! Well, guilty as charged. 🙂 I check on Dozer first. Since I don’t have a printer at the moment I have to copy by hand and so I won’t forget whose recipe it is, yours are labeled Dozer’s recipes. Sorry…….Hugs from Kentucky
Pleading the fifth? You’re a cracker Henri!!!
What would you have to say about using (cheese) tortellini?
Sweet Dozer!! Glad he has you!
If it’s nice when cold then go ahead! Just concerned some would be quite hard in the middle once they cool down, even at room temp 🙂 N x
Nagi, I always go to Dozer first, but did not this time. Just knowing he’s doing so much better makes it
possible to read the recipe first.
Glad to hear Jeff is well. Would it be possible to send him something? If so where could I send it to be sure he gets it?
I will try the pasta recipe soon. It sounds wonderful. Thank you, Nagi, for all that you do for your community. You are a special person to think of others like you do. 💜
Hi Robin! That’s such a lovely thought. Jeff doesn’t have a post box but you could send it to me and I can get it to him. My address is:
Nagi Maehashi
RecipeTin Eats
PO Box 226, Gladesville
NSW AUSTRALIA 1675
Yes busted!!!
Since Dozer has been sick, I always go first to his section. He is soooo lucky to have you taking care of him. We all love him. And … I do read the recipe 😊
Forget the recipes Ann! 😂
Hi Nagi,
Greetings from Canada!
As I sit here quietly with my morning coffee, the silence is broken with me laughing out loud as I read how you have busted me (and so many others) for scooting down the page to check on Dozer before reading your recipe 🤣
That boy of yours is loved by so many ❤️🐶❤️, and I just have to make sure he is continuing to do well. Thanks for sharing him with us! I then check out your video and recipe in that order, always.
This pasta salad looks great, and will be trying it out this weekend. I’m not a big olive fan, I will try one of your substitution suggestions from the comment section.
And you have me smiling as I sip my peppermint tea on a peaceful Sunday morning as I read your message!!! 🙂 N x
Looks like another great recipe!
How awesome is Jeff looking after the dog park, hope all the people who use the park look after him too.
They do! Everybody really comes together to look after Jeff and I know that if is ever in need of help, there will be plenty of people who will step up 🙂 N x
Dang, I knew I’d get busted, eventually 🤣
Dozer is at the same stage that my Shadow: Home is the best place to be, preferably on her bed, close to the stove 😛 I’m not complaining, though; I do NOT miss those times when I had to run after her 😛
But I also like the recipe ♥
Ohhhh I remember in the early days when Dozer was just about too strong for me to handle on a leash! If he launched after a rabbit he pretty much took me after him!
Just wondering, if olives are off the menu, is there something that would be an OK substitution?
Hi Liz! Something else briny / antipasto-y would be a great substitute. Like – capers, sun dried tomatoes. Does that help? 🙂 N x
It does, thanks so much!
Yes, guilty as charged, but I have given the recipe stars x5 in anticipation. Good to see the lad wearing his life jacket too !
Sprung! 😂
Got to check out what Dozer is up to…now that he is part of our extended family…he looks well..
As for the pasta salad….I’m not a “big” pasta fan, but this looks like something I would eat…probably less pasta more add ins…
Or try switching with rice or quinoa! N x
I don’t always want pasta either, but rice (preferably brown). quinoa or bulgar wheat all work in this type of salad.
I like to toast the grains before cooking; gives them a deeper, more complex flavor.
Yes for sure Jules! I do the same with rice salads ie soak the rice in the dressing. Yum! N x
Yes, I am busted 😅
First I check on Dozer then the delicious recipe. So glad he is a home boy! My dog still wants to run away 🙃
This colorful salad and grilled chicken are tomorrows’ dinner, thanks Nagi!
You have your priorities straight…I do that when I’m using my own recipes! 😂
Me too! I zip straight down the recipe, without reading it, to get to see Dozer 🥰
😂😂😂