From the Recipe Creator:
Total Time: 20 minutes
Main Ingredients: Spiral pasta, broccoli florets, olives
Level: Beginner
This tri-color pasta salad is simple, fresh and flexible. You can toss in plenty of extras, like sunflower seeds, diced bell peppers or chunks of cheese—whatever floats your boat!
Tackle gatherings with a bright side dish. This tri-color pasta salad with broccoli, tomatoes, olives and a hardworking dressing is one of the easiest cold pasta salad recipes you could take. —Recipe contributor Amanda Cable, Boxford, Massachusetts
Pasta Salad FAQShould you rinse pasta for cold pasta salad?
Yes. For cold pasta salad, rinsing your pasta in cold water immediately after cooking helps lower the temperature of the pasta quickly, which prevents it from overcooking. It also rinses off the starch that can cause noodles to clump.
How do you keep cold pasta salad from drying out?
Before adding the dressing, toss the cooked pasta in some olive oil to help prevent the noodles from drying out. Use a bit more dressing than you think you’ll need, because the ingredients will continue to absorb the liquid while the salad sits.
Another way to add moisture? Stir in chopped fresh tomatoes, which are packed with flavorful liquids.
How many days is cold pasta salad good for?
It’s best to eat cold pasta salad within four or five days of storing it in the fridge, depending on the ingredients you’ve used. If your pasta salad is loaded with meats and cheeses or a mayonnaise-based dressing, eat it within two days.
Dining and Cooking