COLD PASTA SALAD: RECIPES AND GUIDELINES FOR HEALTHY AND TASTY DISHES

Cold pasta salad is a typical summer dish: it brings to mind sunny days, perhaps outdoors in the company of the sound of crickets overlooking the sparkling sea. The recipes are varied: you can give space to the imagination in games of flavours and colours. Here we will see some general guidelines and some tasty and healthy pasta salad recipes.

To make a cold pasta salad, if you wish to season it with fresh diced vegetables then it is preferable to use short pasta shapes. In fact, short formats such as penne, half-penne, orecchiette, wheels or half-rigatoni can collect well the vegetables.
If instead you want to prepare cold pasta salad with pesto or with another pasta sauce, then long pasta shapes such as spaghetti tend to work well too. If you are using a long pasta shape, pay special attention so that the parts do not stick together.

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As for cooking pasta, keep in mind that pasta will continue to cook for a while after you drain it. Drain pasta approximately one minute or two before it is al dente.
Once drained, transfer it immediately to a large salad bowl and move it so that it does not stick and cools down. Add a little extra virgin olive oil as you mix it. For an even better result, lay it on a large tray covered with baking paper.
Pasta should be cooked a couple of hours before serving the cold pasta salad. In fact, before it risks being still hot, and after it risks becoming a bit mushy.

Pasta salad provides many potential ingredient combinations. Be careful not to overdo the number of ingredients.
From a nutritional point of view, it is a good idea to include legumes among the ingredients. In fact, in pasta, lysine is a limiting amino acid and legumes, with their abundant lysine content, are complementary.
Indicatively, season pasta only once it has become cold.

Cold pasta salad can be prepared either with white pasta or with whole wheat pasta.
Whole wheat pasta contains a little extra dietary fiber and nutrients.

If you plan to eat the cold pasta salad the following day, we advise you to drain it very well and to use condiments that do not release much water. In fact, water makes pasta mushy. If there is a little pasta left over, transfer it in a container and put it in the fridge. Usually cold pasta can be consumed up to 2 or 3 days after preparation.

• Ridged Penne 320 g
• Tuna in olive oil 240 g
• Cherry tomatoes 12
• Stoned ‘Taggiasche’ olives in evoo 80 g
• Extra virgin olive oil to taste
• Basil: some leaves
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste

To prepare cold pasta salad with tuna, Taggiasca olives and cherry tomatoes, follow these simple steps:

1. Bring a pot of water to the boil, add a little salt and toss the pasta.
2. Rinse and dry the tomatoes and cut them in half.
3. Open the tuna and drain the oil.
4. Put the tomatoes and tuna in a bowl.
5. About a minute before the pasta is al dente, drain it well and transfer it to a large bowl. Stir and pour a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil from the Taggiasca olives jar.
6. Stir the pasta every so often for the first two or three minutes. Then, let it rest for about an hour.
7. Add to the tomatoes and tuna the Taggiascheolives and pepper.
8. Mix all the ingredients together with pasta in the salad bowl. Leave the pasta salad to rest for about an hour, then add a little olive oil from the Taggiasca olives jar, mix and decorate with a few basil leaves.

• Spaghetti or Spaghettoni 320 g
• Mullet roe bottarga (LINK) 40 g
• Cherry tomatoes 12
• Extra virgin olive oil to taste
• Basil: some leaves

To prepare cold pasta salad with bottarga and cherry tomatoes, follow these simple steps:

1. Bring a pot of water to the boil, add a little salt and toss the pasta.
2. Rinse and dry the tomatoes and cut them in half.
3. About a minute before the pasta is al dente, drain it well and transfer it to a large bowl. Stir and pour a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
4. Stir the pasta every so often for the first two or three minutes. Then let it rest until it becomes cold.
5. Pour into the large bowl the bottarga and the tomatoes; add some extra virgin olive oil. Mix well, add a few basil leaves and serve.

• Spaghetti or Spaghettoni 320 g
• Basil pesto 120 g
• Cherry tomatoes 8
• Stoned ‘Taggiasche’ olives in evoo 60 g
• Extra virgin olive oil to taste
• Basil: some leaves

To prepare cold pasta salad with pesto and tomatoes, follow these simple steps:

1. Put a pot of water on the stove. When the water boils, add a little coarse salt and toss the pasta.
2. Rinse and dry the tomatoes. Then, cut them in half.
3. About a minute before the pasta is al dente, drain it well and transfer it to a large bowl. Pour a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and stir.
4. Stir the pasta every so often for the first two or three minutes. Then let it rest until it becomes cold.
5. Pour into the large bowl the pesto, the cherry tomatoes and the olives. Add some extra virgin olive oil. Mix well, add a few basil leaves and serve.

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