Tips for Making Great Pasta Salads

Pasta salads are one of the easiest dishes to prepare. Pasta salads come with many options and are usually very forgiving if you make a mistake. You can use pasta salads for lunches, dinners and even special occasions such as Thanksgiving, Easter, and Christmas dinners. Pasta salads are a great addition to any meal.

Choosing the Right Pasta

Choosing the right pasta is not hard. Since pasta pretty much tastes the same, you need to choose your past by your preference in size and texture. If you are looking for something fun and mixable then try Rotini. Rotini is spiral shaped pasta and therefore, will hold more ingredients when combined. On the other hand if you are looking for a more flat shaped pasta that has more 'pasta per bite', then try Bow tie pasta. You can usually use any type of pasta when making a pasta salad. Just keep in mind what amount of pasta, shape and visual appeal. Tubular pastas are very popular as well. Penne, Elbow macaroni, Rigatoni and Ziti, are all very common pastas.

String pastas are another great idea for your pasta salad. Spaghetti, Linguine, and Fettuccine are often used in pasta salads. Keep in mind, putting sauce on string pastas can usually turn them in to other meals. If you don't like the fact that they are long and don't want them to be confused for a type of noodle dish, break them in to 1-4 inch pieces before cooking.

Now that you have chosen your shape and texture, choose your color and flavor. While traditional pasta comes in a white or yellow color, you may want to think outside of the box. If you are looking for something colorful then try colored pasta. Grocery stores carry a few different types of colored pasta. Wheat pasta not only comes in a wheat color but is also healthier. Garden pastas come in many colors and flavors. Tomato, spinach, broccoli and garlic pastas are just a few of the many colored pastas available.

Pasta Salad Flavors

When deciding on what to add to your pasta, think about flavor you are going for. If you are wanting to make an Italian pasta then use ingredients like Italian dressing, peppers, olives, onions, parmesan cheese, pepperoni and maybe peppercorn.

If you would like to have a more garlic flavored pasta salad then start with your pasta and add minced garlic, garlic powder or garlic salt. Moisten your pasta salad with butter or oil. You can add anything else that you desire to go along with your garlic flavor. Top it off with parmesan or shredded cheese and maybe even a few croutons for a crunch.

Ranch pasta salads are very popular as well as Italian and garlic pasta salads. When making a ranch pasta salad, simply add ranch dressing or dressing mix to the pasta. The best method is to use a powdered ranch mix such as, Hidden Valley. This way you can control the amount of ranch flavor with out having to make it too wet. Once you have your ranch and pasta combined add some crisp bacon, English peas (well drained) and even some shredded carrots. Feel free to add other vegetables like fresh broccoli and cauliflower!

Combining Meats

Pasta salads can be combined with just about any type of meat; fried, baked, grilled or boiled and shredded or chopped. Try using chicken, steak, shrimp, pork or tuna. When preparing your meats be sure to season them according to the flavor you have chosen!

When making pasta salads, the options are limitless. If you make a mistake it usually doesn't ruin the salad. You may have to add or omit other ingredients to get the desired taste but it's not hard to fix. Pasta Salads are usually very inexpensive to make and are quick and easy. You can also make them ahead of time to save your self some much needed time when cooking big dinners.