In this season of comebacks, the food world deserves one of its own: pasta salad.
This done-to-death dish deserves the same second chance currently being handed to 1980s pop stars, caped crusaders and the television witch Samantha.
All pasta salad needs is a makeover to reveal its long-hidden charm.
The main rule for any successful hot pasta dish is keep it simple. But cold pasta salads had become vehicles for some of the worst kitchen techniques: overcooking, overdressing and overwhelming with too many ingredients.
Great pasta salads, tossed with just enough dressing and a combination of fresh vegetables, herbs, and grilled meats, beans or shellfish, can be more than a side dish at a buffet supper. The right ingredients can yield easy make-ahead dinners for hot nights.
Basil-flecked mozzarella cheese and tomato salads and shrimp paired with dill and feta cheese are some of the winning tickets we offer here.
There are a few more rules involved, however. Follow them and you’ll realize this new realm of pasta salads has all the makings to be one of the summer’s most triumphant returns.
Cool the pasta. Yes, yes, yes. You should never rinse hot pasta before dressing it, except when making pasta salad. Rinsing the just-cooked pasta extracts excess starch that can make the pasta gluey, ensures the pasta will stay firm and eliminates the need for a lot of dressing. Hot pasta will soak up dressing like a sponge, but cooled pasta needs the barest coating.
Resist the urge to overdress. The flavor in a pasta salad should come from its guest stars – fresh herbs, cheese, vegetables and meat. The oil and the vinegar just help them along. Always start with less dressing than you think you will need.
Choose proven combinations. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Pick pairings you know will work: mozzarella and basil; chicken and tarragon; Parmesan cheese and, well, anything.
Avoid too many ingredients. Just because you’re making a pasta salad, don’t succumb to the compulsion to empty the contents of your refrigerator into the bowl. A well-made salad deserves fresh ingredients.
Hold back on the salt shaker. Oversalting anything can be bad, but for some reason, pasta is particularly vulnerable. By all means, salt the pasta’s cooking water, but then set the salt aside. Smoked, fresh or hard cheeses, shellfish and grilled vegetables that have been lightly seasoned are the types of ingredients that bring strong signatures without a lot of additional salt.
Stephanie Witt Sedgwick was the recipe editor for The Washington Post Food section from 1994 to 2002.
Grilled zucchini, red pepper and smoked mozzarella pasta salad
1/2pound (1 medium or 2 small) zucchini
3tablespoons olive oil
8ounces dried gemelli, penne or any similar size pasta
1red bell pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch long strips (see note)
4ounces smoked mozzarella cheese, cut into 1-inch-long strips
2tablespoons red wine vinegar
2teaspoons balsamic vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the grill or the broiler.
Cut the zucchini lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Lay the slices on a piece of aluminum foil or on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and drizzle with 1 to 2 teaspoons of the olive oil. Transfer to the grill or broiler and cook until the zucchini is browned on both sides, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate; when the zucchini is cool enough to handle, cut into pieces similar in size to the pasta. Set aside.
In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta until it is al dente – done but still a little firm to the bite. Drain the pasta in a colander, rinse with cold water until the pasta is completely cool and drain again until it is free of excess water. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the cooked zucchini, pasta, the roasted pepper, smoked mozzarella, the remaining olive oil, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Serve immediately, or cover tightly and refrigerate for up to two days.
Note: To roast bell peppers, adjust the broiler rack about 5 inches from the source of heat. Broil the peppers, turning them carefully, until the skins blacken and crack, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside for about 10 minutes. The skins will come off easily. Peel the peppers, discarding stems and seeds.
Makes six main-course servings. Per serving: 267 calories, 9 g protein, 32 g carbohydrates, 11 g fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 3 g saturated fat, 74 mg sodium, 2 g dietary fiber.
Shrimp, feta and green bean pasta salad
4ounces green beans, trimmed, each bean cut into inch-long pieces
8ounces dried rotini or any similar size pasta
1pound medium cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
2-4tablespoons chopped dill
2tablespoons red wine vinegar
1tablespoon lemon juice
2tablespoons olive oil
4ounces crumbled feta cheese
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Have ready a large bowl of ice water.
In a pot of boiling salted water, cook the green beans until they turn bright green and start to soften. Transfer the beans to the ice water to cool immediately. When the beans are cool, drain them and pat them dry with a clean towel.
Meanwhile, prepare the pasta. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta until it is al dente – done but still a little firm to the bite. Drain the pasta in a colander, rinse with cold water until the pasta is completely cool and drain again until it is free of excess water. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the cooked green beans, pasta, shrimp, dill to taste, vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, feta cheese, salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, or cover tightly and refrigerate for up to two days.
Makes six main-course servings. Per serving: 313 calories, 24 g protein, 31 g carbohydrates, 10 g fat, 164 mg cholesterol, 4 g saturated fat, 428 mg sodium, 2 g dietary fiber.
Tuna chickpea pasta salad
8ounces dried medium or large shell-shaped pasta
16-ounce can light tuna packed in oil
115.5-ounce can chickpeas, drained
1cup chopped sweet onion, such as Walla Walla
2tablespoons chopped parsley
3tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
Zest of one large lemon
2tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta until it is al dente – done but still a little firm to the bite. Drain the pasta in a colander, rinse with cold water until the pasta is completely cool and drain again until it is free of excess water.
In a large bowl, combine the pasta, tuna, chickpeas, onion, parsley, lemon juice and zest, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine. Serve immediately, or cover tightly and refrigerate up to two days.
Makes six main-course servings. Per serving: 336 calories, 17 g protein, 48 g carbohydrates, 8 g fat, 5 mg cholesterol, 1 g saturated fat, 370 mg sodium, 5 g dietary fiber.
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