We have all been there: You assist your self to a beneficiant scoop from that lovely bowl of pasta salad on the picnic desk buffet, pile it excessive on a flimsy paper plate, jab at it with a good flimsier plastic fork, and take a chunk—solely to right away marvel the place all of it went fallacious. The items of pasta are powerful and caught collectively, the dressing is pooling on the backside like a tragic French dressing swamp, and all the pieces tastes frustratingly bland. It is one of many nice betrayals of summer season consuming. It guarantees picnic perfection however delivers a watery, clumpy, flavorless disappointment.

However the excellent news is that pasta salad does not should be this predictably dangerous. With a couple of sensible strategies and just a bit consideration to element, you may flip this typically ignored aspect right into a dish that is worthy of second (and third) helpings.

Rule #1: Cook dinner That Pasta Previous al Dente

The primary key step to getting pasta salad proper is nailing the cooking time. The way you cook dinner the pasta makes all of the distinction in its remaining end result. And on the subject of pasta salad, al dente is the enemy. 

It sounds fallacious, and it feels fallacious, however as our editorial director, Daniel, notes in his pasta salad suggestions, “pasta that is cooked al dente after which served scorching is perfetto, however pasta that is cooked al dente and served chilly is a shame.” That is as a result of, because the cooked pasta cools, the starch in it goes by a course of referred to as retrogradation, by which the starch molecules come again collectively right into a extra stable crystalline construction, creating pasta that is unpleasantly stiff and difficult alongside the outer edges—in essence, it quickly turns into stale like bread.

The important thing to cooking pasta that has a greater texture when served cool in a salad is to cook dinner it about two minutes past the al dente stage, in order that it’s totally smooth (however not mushy) all through. That manner, as soon as cooled, it is going to agency up simply sufficient to regain the fascinating al dente texture with out changing into powerful.

Rule #2: Gown It Whereas It is Sizzling

A sensible trick I exploit in my lemony orzo salad recipe is to toss the just-drained pasta with a portion of the dressing whereas it is nonetheless heat. The nice and cozy pasta is extra porous and able to soak up taste, in order that preliminary toss permits the dressing to soak into every noodle as a substitute of sliding off like oil on Teflon.

Some recipes instruct you to coat the noodles with a small quantity of olive oil to stop sticking. Whereas this does assist separate the pasta, it additionally creates a slippery barrier that forestalls the sauce or dressing from clinging. You find yourself with slick however flavorless pasta, with the dressing hovering across the edges as a substitute of changing into a part of the dish.

At this stage, do not dump all of the dressing in. Add a couple of third of the dressing, give it toss (you are able to do this straight on the sheet tray or in a bowl earlier than transferring to a sheet tray), and reserve the remainder for a remaining mix-in with the opposite salad substances as soon as the pasta has cooled. This ensures that every noodle is infused with taste early on, and there is nonetheless sufficient sauce left to tie all the pieces collectively on the finish, leading to a balanced, cohesive taste.

Rule #3: Cool It on a Sheet Pan

One other main mistake most individuals make with pasta salad is taking the recent, just-drained pasta and transferring it proper to a bowl to chill down. However piling the recent pasta right into a bowl like this traps steam, turning it into a moist sauna that encourages mushy textures and pasta items that stick collectively in clumps. That is as a result of when pasta is scorching, its floor starches are smooth and gelatinized—basically primed to behave like glue. Press them collectively in a steamy setting, they usually’ll fuse, leaving you with a gummy, tangled mess.

As a substitute, unfold the pasta out in a single layer on a sheet pan till it is heat however not scorching, about quarter-hour. This hastens cooling, permits extra moisture to evaporate (goodbye, watery salad), and prevents the pasta from clumping.

The Pasta Salad Cheat-Sheet

You do not want a dozen substances or a secret household recipe to make pasta salad value consuming. You simply have to nail the basics when cooking and cooling the pasta. This is your cheat sheet for a salad that really delivers:

• Cook dinner the pasta previous al dente. Cook dinner for about two minutes past the same old al dente mark so the pasta stays tender after cooling. 
• Toss the pasta with some dressing whereas it is scorching. Coating heat pasta with a portion of the French dressing or sauce helps it soak up flavors all through and helps stop it from sticking collectively.
• Cool it on a sheet pan. Skip the bowl entice and unfold the pasta in a skinny, even layer, permitting it to chill shortly whereas extra moisture evaporates as a substitute of pooling within the bowl.

As soon as you’ve got bought the method down, get artistic with ending the salad: Layer in vivid pantry staples (comparable to tangy banana peppers or briny chickpeas), contemporary herbs, a contact of bitter greens for distinction, crunchy nuts, or only a little bit of cheese to spherical issues out. While you cease treating pasta salad like an afterthought and begin treating it like a correct cooked dish that makes use of stable technnique, you will be rewarded with a pasta salad that is punchy, cohesive, and really scrumptious.