This summer pasta salad is everything you want when it’s too hot to cook! Quick, nearly no cook (just boil pasta) and full of bright, fresh, bruschetta-inspired tomato flavours.

Also – a useful tip for how to store basil that actually really, truly works!

Bruschetta summer pasta salad

Every Christmas break, I have intentions of tackling ambitious bucket list recipes. Pâté en Croûte! Babi guling! Mole!

But instead of a 12 hour charcoal-roasted suckling pig, I find myself planning meals calling for minimal effort. Lazy mini pizzas. 3-minute smash burgers. And anything-goes pasta salads.

Today’s Bruschetta pasta salad was born from fridge scraps – tomatoes, leftover manchego cheese, random pasta, and rocket/arugula, tossed in a garlicky balsamic dressing. Simple yet delicious!

When work resumed last week, I made it properly (yes, I even went to the store!), switching basil for rocket, parmesan for manchego, and it was even better. Low effort, high reward – perfect for easing out of the summer holiday haze. Give it a try!

Ingredients for this summer pasta salad

In short, all you need is:

• pasta

• tomato

• basil

• balsamic

• garlic

• extra virgin olive oil

But for those of you wondering why, what if, and “what can I use instead of…..” – here’s the full version!

1. FOR THE PASTA SALAD

• Pasta – I used ziti / penne, but any short pasta will work great here. Bow ties (fun!), small shells, twirls etc.

  Really small pasta like risoni/orzo, tiny stars, novelty ones like alphabet shapes etc will also work but the volume of the pasta salad will reduce. Long pasta like spaghetti, fettuccine etc also works, though I prefer to serve it warm if using long pasta (I never got my head around cold long pasta).

• Tomato – Any size, colour or shape, small (eg cherry tomatoes) or large (I used what is sold as “truss tomatoes” here in Australia). Just make sure they are ripe! If not, but you are committed to making this, I recommend roasting the tomatoes to coax out flavour and sweetness. See FAQ below for directions.

• Basil – The classic herb herb used for bruschetta, because tomato and basil are the best of friends!

  If you don’t have it / expensive / out of season, add 1 1/2 tsp Italian herbs or other dried herbs of choice into the dressing instead, or use other fresh herbs eg parsley, dill, oregano. Tomatoes are friends with other herbs other than basil, you know! 🙂

• Parmesan – Not used in bruschetta, but I added this for a little flavour boost. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if you didn’t have parmesan but it is definitely a little tastier with.

2. OPTIONAL EXTRAS (if you’re feeling fancy)

The above is what I use for the base recipe, and it is delicious as is. It doesn’t need anything more, but if I want to elevate it, I like to add a drizzle of balsamic glaze and sprinkle of pine nuts. The tiniest touch of sweet/tart from the balsamic glaze and toasty nuttiness of pine nuts adds that extra little za za zoom to this pasta salad, and also looks good!

• Balsamic glaze – This is balsamic vinegar that has been reduced and has a syrupy consistency. It has a sweeter flavour than regular balsamic vinegar and is used for drizzling to finish dishes, like Caprese Salad. It looks great and adds a terrific pop of flavour.

  Can’t find it at the shops? Make your own. It’s so easy, it’s just simmer and reduce balsamic vinegar with a touch of sugar or honey. I’ve popped directions in the recipe notes.

• Pine nuts – It goes so well with the flavours in this pasta salad, a classic pairing with tomato and basil (like – pesto!). Feel free to leave it out or substitute with pepitas, sunflower seeds or

3. Dressing

We’re using a simple balsamic dressing today. I like the extra balsamic flavour it adds to the dish, and how it stains the pasta a warm brown colour.

• Balsamic vinegar – Any basic balsamic vinegar is fine though if you’ve got a quality aged one, now would be a good time to break it out!

• Extra virgin olive oil – As with the balsamic, the better the olive oil, the tastier the dressing.

• Garlic – The moment you smell the garlic hitting the hot pasta, you understand why we include it!

• Salt and pepper – Because dressing without salt is bland!

How to make bruschetta summer pasta salad

It’s simple. In a nutshell:

1. Toss cooked pasta and tomato (separately) with dressing, then leave for 10 – 15 minutes to absorb the flavour; then

2. Toss pasta with the tomato, basil and parmesan. Serve!

OK…..there’s a few minor little extra details, and there’s a reason for each. So for those interested in why we’re overcooking the pasta, why we salt the tomato later, why we pour off the tomato juices… here’s why!

1. Overcook pasta until soft – Cook the pasta in salted boiling water*. Cook the pasta for 2 minutes beyond the recommended time per the packet until the pasta is overly soft, well beyond al dente. Why? Because the pasta firms up when it cools, and gets even firmer when chilled in the fridge. Don’t be that person who serves up hard pasta salad!! Always overcook your pasta for pasta salads!

   * I really do recommend cooking pasta in salted water for pasta salads, to get a bit of salt into the pasta itself else the pasta can be a bit bland.
   

2. Dressing – While the pasta is cooking, shake up the dressing in a bottle. (Or whisk, if you want to be normal, but shaking is more effective).

3. Pasta flavour absorption – Drain your paste then put it back into the same pot (save washing up). Give the dressing a good shake then pour 2/3 of it over the pasta. Stir well – it will smell amazing! – then leave for 15 minutes until it cools to room temperature, during which time the pasta will absorb the dressing flavour. YUM.

4. Chop tomatoes – Meanwhile, chop the tomatoes into 1 cm / 0.8″ squares, reserving all the watery juices (it becomes part of the pasta salad dressing). Don’t chop too small, else it becomes salsa-ish and becomes hard to eat with a fork.

   My technique: cut slices, stack, then cut into square(ish) pieces. For the root piece, I cut around the root then chop into squares.

5. Marinate tomato – Transfer the tomato and all the watery juices into a large bowl. Pour over all the remaining dressing, then gently toss. Set aside for 10 to 15 minutes for the flavours to meld, or however long you’ve got remaining for the pasta to cool.

   ⚠️ Don’t leave the tomato for much longer than 15 minutes else it might get a little too soft and mushy.

6. Tomato juices – Pour the tomato juices over the pasta salad then toss the pasta. I do this before adding the tomato to minimise the tossing once the tomato is added as the tomato is a bit delicate so we don’t want to bash it around too much. Also, I want to salt the tomato before adding it into the pasta salad.

7. Salt the tomato – Then sprinkle salt across the tomato and gently toss to mix through. We do this at the end else the salt draws too much liquid out of the tomato.

8. Finish – Add the tomato into the pasta, plus the basil and parmesan. Then gently stir to combine before pouring into a serving bowl.

Spruce it with balsamic glaze and pine nuts

Now, you can absolutely stop here and you’ll be happy, satisfied and probably feeling a little smug that you’re enjoying such a tasty meal that called for such minimal effort.

However, if you happen to be making this Bruschetta Summer Pasta Salad to take somewhere, or if your mother-in-law dropped in for a surprise visit, or if you’re making this for a team lunch and your team happens to be filled with actual real chefs, then you might want to add the extra touch and finish it off with a little drizzle of balsamic glaze and pine nuts. It looks good and adds an extra pop of flavour and it’s low effort.

So, now that I’ve confessed my lazy Christmas-break cooking sins, it’s your turn for confession. Tell me your secrets, I want to know! (And don’t be surprised if an iteration of it appears on this website at some point. 😈 I promise I’ll credit you!) – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

PS I forgot to add salt into the tomato, as per the recipe below. I realised when I ate the video version, it was a little under seasoned! 🙂

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Bruschetta summer pasta salad

Recipe video above. This is everything you want when it's too hot to cook! Quick, nearly no cook (just boil pasta) and full of bright, fresh, bruschetta-inspired tomato flavours.

Workflow – Get the water boiling. While pasta is cooking, make dressing and chop tomatoes.

Course cold pasta salad, pasta salad

Cuisine Western

Keyword pasta salad, summer pasta salad, tomato pasta salad

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Cooling 15 minutes minutes

Servings 6 as a meal, 10 as a side

Calories 580cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 500g/1 lb penne , ziti or other short pasta
• 2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt , for cooking pasta

Bruschetta

• 1 kg / 2 lb tomatoes , chopped into 1.25cm / 1/2” pieces, keep all juices (Note 2)
• 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (Note 3)
• 3/4 cup tightly packed basil leaves , finely sliced (Note 1)
• 1/2 cup (tightly packed) finely shredded parmesan

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (good time to break out the good stuff)
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves , minced using garlic press or very finely minced using knife
• 3/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (Note 3)
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Optional extra finishes (Note 4)

• 1/4 cup pinenuts , toasted
• Balsamic glaze , for drizzling (Note 6)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Short directions

• Cook pasta in salted water until extra soft, toss with 2/3 Dressing, cool. Toss tomato with remaining Dressing, leave 10 min. Pour off juices into pasta, toss. Add 1/2 tsp salt into tomato, toss. Add into pasta with basil, parmesan. Finish with balsamic glaze and pine nuts. Enjoy!

Full directions

• Dressing – Shake the ingredients in a jar (or whisk in a jug).
• Soft cooked pasta – Bring a large pot of water to the boil with the 2 teaspoons of salt. Cook the pasta per the packet time plus 2 minutes, until the pasta is overcooked and soft. (Note 5) Drain in a colander, then return the pasta into the same pot.
• Flavour the pasta – Give the dressing a good shake then pour 2/3 of it over the pasta. Stir (enjoy the smell!). Set aside to cool for 15 minutes and let the pasta absorb the dressing flavour.
• Bruschetta – Put chopped tomato and all watery juices into a bowl. Pour over remaining Dressing, gently toss. Set aside for 10 minutes or until the pasta is cool to let the flavours meld.
• Finishing (the order matters!) – Pour the juices accumulated in the tomato bowl into the pasta then toss to disperse. Add the salt into the tomato, gently toss, then add the tomato into the pasta. Add the basil, parmesan, gently toss.
• Serve – Pour into a big bowl and serve! If using extra finishes, drizzle with a swish of balsamic glaze (not too much, it's strong!) and sprinkle with pine nuts. Eat!

Notes

1. Basil – If you don’t have it / expensive / out of season, add 1 1/2 tsp Italian herbs or other dried herbs of choice into the dressing instead, or use other fresh herbs eg parsley, dill, oregano – tomatoes are friends with other herbs other than basil, you know! 🙂

2. Tomatoes – Any type, any colour, sweet, juicy and ripe are of course best. If yours are not but you’re committed to making this, roast to coax out sweetness. See FAQ above for directions.

3. Salt – If you don’t have cooking salt / kosher salt, halve for table salt, increase 25% for salt flakes.

4. Optional extras to elevate, but this pasta salad is flavourful without so don’t feel obliged! Use for serving bowl if part of a buffet, or individual bowls if serving yourself at home (better distribution per person).

5. Extra soft pasta – Pasta firms up when cold so when it’s extra soft hot = perfect texture cold in pasta salads. Nobody wants rock hard pasta in their cold pasta salads! 🙂

6. Homemade balsamic glaze is easy! 1 cup balsamic vinegar plus 1 tbsp brown sugar in a saucepan, bring to simmer over medium high then reduce to medium low and simmer until it reduces to a thin syrup (it should coat a spoon). Don’t make it too thick because it thickens quite a lot when it cools! Use cool. Will keep for weeks in the fridge.

Leftovers will keep for 2 days in the fridge though the tomato is a bit softer than ideal. Not suitable for freezing.

Nutrition per serving assuming 6 servings.

Nutrition

Calories: 580cal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 1410mg | Potassium: 640mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1456IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 140mg | Iron: 2mg

Life of Dozer

Take a peek into my camera roll for a Christmas break Dozer catch up! There was our annual Christmas Nagi/Dozer selfie attempt fail:

There were Christmas outfits…

There were ice packs to help cool him down on extra hot days (and it was blazing hot this Christmas!)…

And there was AI Dozer. Yes, this is what AI produced!!

In a nutshell, Christmas 2024 was very good to Dozer, a suitable end to what has been his most challenging year to date. He spend a lot of time surrounded by his favourite people, at the beach, receiving plenty of special tasty treats, and spent a lot of time doing this:

It’s ok, I had a towel on the ground beside him to lie on. 😂

The post Bruschetta summer pasta salad appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

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! 😂

1. 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!

2. 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.

3. 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).

1. Dressing – Shake the Dressing ingredients in a jar.

2. 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!

3. 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.

4. 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!

5. Basil last – Tear the basil leaves roughly with your hands then toss through.

6. 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

Recipe video above. This is the big-batch pasta salad I make when I'm short on time. The trick that puts this into guest-serving territory is to toss the hot, freshly cooked pasta in the dressing. You will be shocked how much flavour it absorbs!

Do this, and it's delicious no matter what you add in. My combination is the bare minimum that delivers everything I seek in a pasta salad. There's no need to add a gazillion ingredients!

Workflow – Chop the veg and make the dressing while the pasta is cooking. This will cut down active cook/prep time to 15 minutes.

Course cold pasta salad, Mains, pasta salad, Side

Cuisine Western

Keyword cold pasta salad, easy pasta salad, pasta salad

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Cooling 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings 6 – 12

Calories 617cal

Author Nagi

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

Cups – Metric

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!

Notes

Servings – Makes enough for 5 to 6 as a meal, or 12+ as part of a buffet table at a gathering.

---

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.

•  

3. Other vinegars – white or red wine vinegar, sherry vinegar, champagne vinegar.

4. Smidge of honey – Takes edge off sharpness of vinegar so we can get away with using way less oil than the typical 1:3 vinegar to oil ratio. Good trick for cutting down on oil in dressings! 🙂

5. Italian herb mix – Just the regular mix from any grocery store. Sub with another mix like Herbs de Provence, or dried oregano.

Storage – Keeps well for 3 days! At its prime on the day of making and next day, still every good on day for 2 more days. If intentionally making ahead to take somewhere, take the basil separately and add it in just before serving. Best served at room temp rather than fridge cold, toss well just before serving.

Nutrition per serving assuming 6 servings.

Nutrition

Calories: 617cal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 915mg | Potassium: 555mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 692IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 225mg | Iron: 3mg

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. 🙂

The post Nagi’s Big, Easy Pasta Salad appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Risoni /orzo salad, filled with an unapologetically generous amount of your new favourite garnish – crispy salami bits! There’s a good stack of bright fresh vegetables in here too, all tossed up in a tasty Italian Dressing. A new big, bold, statement pasta salad to fall in love with!

The crispy salami bits!

Meet the star player in today’s line up – crispy salami. Literally just chopped up salami, fried in a pan until crisp. Think, bacon. With even more flavour!

Wait – what do you mean you’ve never fried up salami before??!!

OK, truthfully, I hadn’t either until I started down this “I want to make an interesting pasta salad!” warpath. A familiar state I find myself in pursuit of this (delicious!) life I have chosen sharing recipes with the world. 🙂

I had a vision of a pasta salad version of my Mega Italian Salad. I wanted big, I wanted statement, and I wanted something different to the usual “just add an Italian dressing and then you can call it an Italian pasta salad”.

Multiple iterations later – “mm, I mean, it’s fine but it’s just pretty ordinary, ya know?” – I arrived at today’s version. The crispy salami bits was the clincher!

Just briefly – orzo vs risoni

The little rice shaped pasta bits of pasta are a firm favourite. My pantry is never without multiple boxes! Called risoni here in Australia and orzo in most of the rest of the world (UK, US, Canada). But risoni is actually the correct name used in Italy because orzo means barley in Italian. And risoni is not made from barley, it’s made from flour like normal pasta!

So there you have it. Here in Australia, it’s labelled risoni in the mainstream grocery stores but in speciality grocers and Italian stores, I’ve also seen it labelled as orzo.

What you need for risoni / orzo salad

This is a big orzo / risoni salad filled with a medley of fresh vegetables, a handful of cheese, then tossed with an Italian dressing and the crispy salami bits.

1. Risoni / orzo

Find risoni /orzo in the pasta aisle, usually sold in small boxes. It costs around the same as spaghetti. Suggestions for alternatives below.

Substitute with cooked rice of choice (use 1 1/2 cups uncooked rice) – white, brown, basmati, jasmine – or quinoa (directions here). Other little pasta will work too – like ditalini, the really small macaroni or the novelty shapes for kids (dinosaurs! alphabet!).

2. The add-ins

The add-ins for this recipe are inspired by everybody’s favourite Mega Italian Salad. But there’s lots of alternatives – go wild with salad add-ins of your choice! Even the crispy salami bits, as much as I harp on and on about them, can be substituted with bacon, ham, prosciutto, or anything else that’s crispy/salty. Or nuts!

• Salami – I use the deli pre-sliced rounds because I’m lazy and it means less chopping for me because the job is half done. Else, slice your own salami stick!

  Substitutes – As noted above, anything fryable that goes crispy will work great as a substitute. And if you prefer no meat, add a handful of roughly chopped pistachios, pine nuts, or sunflower or pepitas.

• Tomato – I like using cherry tomatoes because they hold up better if keeping this for a few days. However, you can use 3 large tomatoes instead. Scoop out watery middle then dice the flesh.

• Rocket/arugula – My leafy greens of choice for ease of use (grab handfuls and rip into smaller pieces) and also because it holds up best in leftovers. But other leafy greens will work fine, chop into small(ish) pieces.

• Capsicum/bell peppers – For crunch! Cucumbers would make a great sub. Oh, and you don’t HAVE to use green capsicum! 🙂 Yellow or red will be fine too….

• Red onion – Substitute with something similar for oniony freshness. 1 large green onion stem finely chopped, or 1 eschallot (US: shallot ie the baby onions), or 1/2 a white onion.

• Olives – I like using sliced olives here for better dispersion, though I was tempted to use whole ones so you can big meaty bites of olives. You choose!

  Substitute with other briny things. I’m thinking: pickles, artichokes, fire roasted capsicum, other pickled veg. Just want something with tang to balance out everything else going on in this salad!

• Cheese – What, you’ve never added a handful of shredded cheese into “rubble” type salads before? It’s so good! Instant flavour uplift. I used colby – a great all-rounder that works for melting in cheesy sauces (Mac & Cheese), on things (pasta bakes), on tacos, in burritos, in salads!

  Substitute with cheddar, monteray jack, pepper jack, gruyere, swiss etc. Not mozzarella (not enough flavour) and not parmesan (too much flavour!).

3. Italian dressing

This is the same dressing from my Mega Italian Salad, minus the parmesan cheese – because we’re using a big handful of shredded cheese instead.

• Extra virgin olive oil – The better the quality, the better your salad!

• Red wine vinegar – Substitute with white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.

• Dried basil and oregano – Substitute with an Italian herb mix or dried parsley.

• Chilli flakes – Optional, for the tiniest hint of warmth.

• Sugar – Just 1/2 teaspoon. Cuts through the vinegar so you can get away with using less oil.

• Garlic – Fresh please! Jarred stuff barely resembles the real deal, and is also weirdly sour. So wrong!

How to make risoni/orzo salad

1. Dressing – Shake the dressing ingredients in a jar. Always my preferred method to make dressings because it really combines the ingredients well. Plus, useful storage!

2. Risoni / orzo – Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water per packet directions. Drain, rinse then toss in a little oil (to keep it from clumping) then cool.

3. Crispy salami – Chop the salami into small pieces. Then cook it in a non-stick pan like you do bacon until it’s crispy. No oil needed, it will fry up in its own fat!

4. Drain on paper towels. It will get crispier as it cools. To preserve crispiness, keep it separate until just before serving.

5. Toss 1 – Toss all the salad ingredients together first without the dressing.

6. Dress then toss again – Then pour the dressing over and toss again. Why I do this: because otherwise if you pour straight onto certain ingredients, like leafy greens, they tend to hog more than their fair share of the dressing. I’m looking at YOU, rocket!

   Tumble everything into a large serving bowl. Sprinkle with reserved salami then eat!

Practical matters of Italian risoni/orzo salad

Some final words on this pasta salad!

• Making ahead – If I’m making ahead intentionally (eg taking to a gathering), I’ll keep the components separate so it’s fresh and perky for serving. Especially the crispy salami! It does soften once it’s mixed through so keep it separate to preserve crispiness.

• Shelf life once dressed – Still very good after 2 hours, good after 3 days. If I know I’m keeping it, I usually dial up the dressing slightly, and hold a little back so I can freshen it up with a little extra dressing.

• Gluten free – As suggested above in the ingredients chatter section, switch the pasta for rice to make this gluten free. It’s literally perfect – similar size and shape.

• Serve at room temp – If you made ahead or have leftovers, bring to room temp before eating. You’ll taste everything better than when fridge cold.

• Eat with a spoon – Perhaps a strange point to finish on but this is a characteristic of this pasta salad that really appeals to me!! For some reason, I find it really satisfying that I can eat this pasta salad with a spoon. Convenience (eg multi-tasking: eat without taking your eyes off the TV, or in my case, moving around the kitchen while cooking something else) and the ability to scoop up and eat big mouthfuls of it.

Are you judging me? 😂

Love to know what you think if you try this recipe. Especially, of course, the crispy salami bits!! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Italian Orzo Salad (Risoni) with Crispy Salami Bits

Recipe video above. The crispy salami bits are the hero here. The better bacon. Why aren't we putting crispy salami in everything??!

Tossed through a risoni/orzo salad inspired by my favourite Mega Italian Salad with lots of fresh vegetables and a good handful of cheese to keep things tasty. Excellent packed lunch, keeps well for days, love that you can eat it with a spoon. Serves 4 – 5 as a meal. Make this today, find another pasta salad for next week here!

Course cold pasta salad, Main

Cuisine Western

Keyword chicken pasta salad, orzo salad, risoni salad

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Cooling time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 5

Calories 612cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 250g / 8oz risoni / orzo pasta – 1 1/4 cups (Note 1)
• 2 tsp salt , for cooking pasta
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Salad add-ins (Note 2):

• 250g/ 8 oz salami slices , chopped into 1.25 cm / 1/2" squares (Note 2)
• 1 cup sliced kalamata olives (1 x 220g/7oz jar) – or other olives or briny things (Note 4)
• 2 tightly packed cups baby rocket / arugula , torn by hand
• 400g/ 14oz cherry tomatoes , quartered (2 1/2 cups)
• 1 large green capsicum , cut into 1.25cm / 1/2″ squares
• 1/2 red onion , finely diced
• 1 1/2 cups (tightly packed) colby cheese , shredded into short strands (Note 5)

Italian dressing:

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar (or white wine vinegar, sub apple cider vinegar)
• 1 garlic clove , crushed using garlic press or grated using microplane
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp red chilli flakes (optional)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp cooking/kosher salt

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Cook pasta – Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add salt and risoni/orzo, then cook per packet directions (usually ~10 minutes). Drain in colander, rinse, shake off excess water well. Transfer to large bowl. Toss with the olive oil then let cool.
• Dressing – Shake in a jar.
• Crispy salami – Put salami in cold large non-stick pan, with no oil. Turn onto medium high – as the pan heats up, the fat will melt so it cooks in its own fat. Cook for 3 – 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until light golden. Drain on paper towels. It will crisp as it cools.
• Toss – Set aside 1/3 of the salami for topping. Put all remaining salad ingredients in with the risoni. Toss. Pour over dressing. Toss, toss, toss!
• Serve! Tumble into serving bowl. Sprinkle with remaining salami. Divide between bowls. Eat with spoon! Best eaten at room temp, not fridge cold (can taste flavours better).

Notes

1. Orzo/risoni – Little rice shaped pasta! Substitute with cooked rice of choice (use 1 1/2 cups uncooked rice) – white, brown, basmati, jasmine – or quinoa (directions here). Other little pasta will work too.

2. Salami – I use the deli pre-sliced rounds because I’m lazy and it means less chopping for me because the job is half done. Else, slice your own salami stick!

Substitutes – Anything fryable that goes crispy, like bacon, ham bits, prosciutto. Prefer no meat? Add a handful of roughly chopped pistachios, pine nuts, or sunflower or pepitas.

3. Vegetable notes:
– Tomato: sub with 3 large tomatoes, scoop out watery middle then dice the flesh
– Rocket/arugula: holds up best it keeping leftovers, I find. But other leafy greens will work fine, chop into small(ish) pieces.
– Capsicum/bell peppers: cucumber could be substituted. Oh, and you don’t HAVE to use green 🙂 Yellow or red will be fine too!
– Red onion: Sub 1 large green onion stem finely chopped. Or 1 eschallot (US: shallot ie the baby onions), or 1/2 white onion.

4. Olives – Sub with other briny things. I’m thinking: pickles, artichokes, fire roasted capsicum, other pickled veg. Just want something with tang to balance out everything else going on in this salad!

5. Cheese – Sub with cheddar, monteray jack, pepper jack, gruyere, swiss etc. Not mozzarella (not enough flavour) and not parmesan (too much flavour!). Try to grate short rather than long strands – you get more pieces to litter throughout!

6. Leftovers keeps well for 2 to 3 days. If intentionally making ahead, keep all components separate then toss and dress just before serving. In particular, the salami softens once tossed through so preserve crispiness by keeping it separate!!

Nutrition per serving assuming 5 servings.

Nutrition

Calories: 612cal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 23g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 2052mg | Potassium: 589mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 836IU | Vitamin C: 39mg | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 3mg

More cold pasta salad recipes

Chicken Pasta Salad

MARINATED Vegetarian Pasta Salad!

The most amazing avocado pasta salad

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta Salad

Greek Lemon Orzo Salad (Risoni)

Pesto pasta salad

Macaroni Salad

Prawn Mango Avocado Summer Salad

Pasta and Rice Salads

Life of Dozer

Somebody get Prince Edward Dozer Maehashi I some sunnies, stat! The morning sun is blinding him!

The post Risoni/Orzo Salad with Crispy Salami Bits appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

I know it should be as simple as dumping pesto on pasta…. but actually, it turns out I have some things to say about pesto pasta salad. That is, if you want a good one!

Pesto pasta salad

My pesto pasta salad rules are simple – don’t skimp on pesto, don’t be shy with olive oil, cook the pasta beyond al dente and add the smallest dab of mayonnaise to give it a touch of luxe as well as improving leftovers.

Why? Because these address two pet-peeves I have about pesto pasta salads.

Firstly, the pesto pasta salad that doesn’t actually taste much like pesto. Pasta with the faintest green colour, and if you close your eyes as you eat, it’d be impressive if you picked it as pesto.

Secondly, the dry pesto pasta salad. Actually, that’s a general pasta salad peeve. Just because it’s a cold pasta, that’s no excuse for dryness! I resort to all sorts of tricks to keep things juicy. Lots of dressing (using avocado is a neat, tasty trick, as is using a splash of pasta cooking water instead of gallons of oil). And juicy add-ins, like roast vegetables, tomato etc. (this marinated vegetable pasta salad is a solid summer staple).

Today’s trick? Just 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise. This works wonders to keep things extra juicy today – and even tomorrow when you pull it out from the fridge!

What you need for pesto pasta salad

The one thing that will make your pesto pasta salad stand out is freshly made basil pesto. But if it’s an emergency, use the fresh pesto you get from the fridge section – tastes a whole lot fresher than off the shelves in aisles!

1. Homemade pesto

Here’s what you need for the basil pesto.

• Fresh basil leaves – Abundant and excellent value during summer!

• Parmesan – or, if you want to really go luxe, parmigiana reggiano.

• Pine nuts – sometimes, to change things up, I use walnuts, cashews or almonds.

• Olive oil – Or a 50/50 combination of olive oil and grapeseed oil (which has a more neutral flavour so let’s the basil flavour come through a little more).

• Garlic – Just a touch. Because it’s raw, if you use too much it can be a little harsh, I find.

2. Pesto pasta salad ingredients

And here’s what goes into my pesto pasta salad.

1. Pasta – Any short shape your heart desires! Shells, macaroni, wheels – go wild! I went spirals. I like to live life on the edge. 😂

2. Just a dab of MAYONNAISE – Not intended to make this a greasy mayo-laden pesto pasta salad! But a little dab goes a long way to give pesto pasta salad an edge of creaminess so it stays nice and “juicy” even the next day. It really makes a difference.

   Prefer to skip it? Just add a little extra olive oil.

3. Bocconcini, cherry tomatoes – My add-ins of choice, so it’s not just all pasta. Love the combo of juicy tomato and the soft bites of bocconcini. If you want to skip these, just add a little more pasta. Or, use other add-ins of choice!

4. Rocket/arugula – I like to add some type of leafy greens into me pesto pasta salads for a hint of freshness and provide textural contrast. Rocket / arugula is great, love the hint of peppery freshness.

How I make pesto pasta salad

Simple – but I do have a couple of tips!

1. Cook the pasta beyond al dente so it’s quite soft. Why? Because pasta firms up when it cools. To the point of hard when refrigerated. Pre-empt this by cooking pasta a little longer so it’s extra soft when hot = perfect texture when cool!

2. Tossing order – Toss pasta, pesto and mayonnaise only first. Then the bocconcini and tomato. Lastly, leafy greens – as pesto tends to cling to it, and we can’t have leafy greens hogging the pesto!

Homemade pesto

It’s was simple as blitzing everything together using a handheld stick, until the pesto is quite smooth. Less clean up than using a food processor and a better result. Why? Read on!

I prefer using a handheld stick because you can make the pesto smoother which I prefer for pasta salads. Better coverage on the pasta. I like chunky pesto for using as a dip, dolloping on crostini, that sort of thing, where a bit of texture is pleasant.

Bonus: handheld sticks are far easier to clean than a food processor! (Though you can use a food processor if you need to – directions in the recipe).

How to make the pesto pasta salad

Well, I’ve pretty much already given the steps, but I’ll write them out anyway!

1. Cook pasta in salted water per packet time plus 1 minute so it’s extra soft, as explained above. Salted water is a must, else you will feel like your pasta salad is a little under seasoned.

   BTW, I start my timer as soon as the pasta goes into the boiling water, not once it comes back up to the simmer. Just in case you’re wondering. 🙂

2. Rinse the pasta under cold running water to remove excess starch (which makes it sticky, not what we want for pasta salad) and cool.

3. Drain well and cool.

4. Pesto & mayonnaise first – Mix the pesto and mayonnaise through the pasta first.

5. Tomato & bocconcini next – Then gently mix through the tomato and bocconcini. We don’t want to bash up the tomato too much.

6. Leafy greens last – And lastly, toss through the rocket/arugula. Just quickly, to disperse. Don’t mix too much else the rocket tends to get weighed down with pesto. In other words – the leafy greens hog the pesto, and we can’t have that!

Storing leftover pesto pasta salad

Though pesto pasta salads are at their green-colour prime within a few hours of making, it will last for 2 days in the fridge and retain its green colour, albeit not quite as vibrant as when freshly made.

Also, the other big thing this pesto pasta salad has going for it is that it is still nice and juicy the next day, and the next. I find that cold pasta salads (other than mayo laden ones) are notorious for become dry in the fridge overnight because the pasta absorbs the dressing.

But in this one, the combination of using the right amount of pesto (generous!) and just 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise prevents this pasta salad from drying out.

Take it to picnics, as a side dish for gatherings, or take it to work for lunch. Such a great summer staple! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Pesto pasta salad

Recipe video above. Don't skimp on pesto, and don't be shy with olive oil. If you do, you'll end up staring at a mound of flavour-lacking, dry pesto pasta salad, thinking "darn it, I should have just followed the recipe!".

PS Just 2 tablespoons of mayo is the secret here. Just gives an edge of creaminess without weighing it down, plus significantly improves the quality of next-day leftovers – prevents it from drying out.

TIP: Homemade pesto obviously rules here, but if you need to resort to store-bought, get it from the fridge rather than aisle. It's better.

Course cold pasta salad, Mains, pasta salad

Cuisine Western

Keyword cold pasta salad, pesto pasta salad, vegetarian pasta salad

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 5

Calories 663cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 350g / 12oz spiral pasta (fusilli, or other of choice, 3 1/2 cups)
• 1 tbsp salt , for cooking pasta

Pesto (Note 1):

• 2 tbsp pinenuts , toasted (sub walnuts, cashews, almonds)
• 2 cups (tightly packed) basil leaves
• 1 small garlic clove , minced
• 1/2 cup parmesan , finely grated
• 1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 7 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (or 50/50 grapeseed/olive oil)

Pasta Salad:

• 2 tbsp mayonnaise (S&W, else Hellman’s, Note 2)
• 250g (1 heaped cup) cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 220g/ 7 oz baby bocconcini , drained, cut in half (Note 3)
• 1 cup (tightly packed) baby rocket/arugula leaves (40g)
• 1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt
• Small basil leaves , optional garnish

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Cook pasta – Bring 3 litres of water to the boil with the salt. Cook for the pasta packet time + 1 minute. Drain in a colander, rinse under cold water. Shake off excess water well, then allow to fully cool and dry.
• Pesto – Place all ingredients in a tall jug just large enough to fit the head of a stick blender. Blitz under pretty smooth. Not a green smoothie, we still want some visible green bits! but not chunks.
• Toss – Place pasta in a bowl, scrape in the pesto. Add mayonnaise then toss well. Add bocconcini and tomato, toss gently just to disperse. Add rocket/arugula and toss just to disperse.
• Serve – Transfer into a serving bowl. Scatter with basil leaves, if using. Serve!

Notes

Serves 4 to 5 as a meal, or 8 to 10 as a side (or more, if this is part of a larger banquet!)

1. Pesto – Homemade really is superior, but if you need to use store bought, use just shy of 1 cup. Try to get it from the fridge rather than aisle – fresher!

2. Mayonnaise is not intended to make this a creamy pasta salad. It just adds “juiciness” and prevents it from drying out – because dry pasta salads is a pet peeve of mine! If you don’t want to use mayo, add an extra 2 tablespoons of olive oil instead.

3. Baby bocconcini – small, soft mozzarella balls. They have a mild flavour, ie not salted. Fabulous in pasta salads, especially with pesto pasta salad!

4. Leftovers will keep well for 2 days though it does lose the vibrant green colour. Keep in the fridge in a very airtight container (this will preserve greenness as best as possible). Always bring to room temperature before eating, for best flavour and pasta texture.

Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings.

Nutrition

Calories: 663cal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 2114mg | Potassium: 356mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 938IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 293mg | Iron: 2mg

For the love of pasta salads

Italian Pasta Salad with Homemade Italian Dressing

The most amazing avocado pasta salad

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta Salad

Chicken Pasta Salad

MARINATED Vegetarian Pasta Salad!

Greek Lemon Orzo Salad (Risoni)

Pearl Couscous Salad

Macaroni Salad

Pasta and Rice Salads

Life of Dozer

Current favourite toy. Changes frequently. He’s not very loyal.

PS In case you have a burning desire to know – it’s a hippo. I understand. There’s no way you could sleep tonight without knowing what that slobbery waterlogged grey mass of fur is. Now you can rest in peace.

Actually, on closer inspection, possibly not a hippo? Any thoughts from animal experts much appreciated.

The post Pesto pasta salad appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.