Nancy Roberts Realty LLC

Easy Pasta Salad Perfect for a Potluck

by Nancy Roberts 10/09/2022

Pasta salad is an old standby regarding potluck recipes. Most recipes take less than an hour to make and involve inexpensive ingredients you might already have in your kitchen. However, since pasta salad is such a diverse dish, there is an overwhelming amount of different recipes available.

If you’re not sure where to start, here is a simple recipe for a crowd-pleasing Italian pasta salad for your next potluck.

Ingredients

1 box or package of your choice of pasta

1 cup chopped cucumber1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes

1 can of sliced black olives

1/4 cup of diced red onion

Your favorite Italian salad dressing

Process

  1. Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the box, adding a pinch of salt to the water.
  2. Drain the pasta and set aside while you prep the veggies.
  3. Move the pasta into a bowl and add in the prepared veggies. Mix with a large, flat spoon to avoid pasta breakage.
  4. Add salad dressing to taste. For this size of batch, anywhere from half a cup to one cup should work well.
  5. Place the entire bowl in the refrigerator for a while before serving. This will bring everything to the same cool, refreshing temperature and keep the veggies fresh as possible.

Tips

Here are some additional expert tips for your pasta salad:

  • Opt for a pasta shape that’s small and easy to combine with veggies. Some popular choices include farfalle, rotini and penne.
  • Once you drain the pasta into a strainer, run it under cold water to reduce the temperature instantly.
  • Before adding onions to the mixture, let them soak in a small amount of salad dressing for about 10 minutes. This will make it easier to enjoy the flavor of the onions without it overpowering the rest of the salad.
  • Skinning the cucumbers is completely up to your preference. However, consider removing the seeds. This reduces the amount of excess moisture in your pasta salad and makes for a cleaner look.
  • Drain the olives carefully to avoid adding extra water to your mixture.
  • Slice the tomatoes in half if you wish. For larger cherry tomatoes, this might make them more convenient to eat in combination with the other ingredients.
  • Add finely chopped pepperoni, salami, ham or your favorite cheese to add some protein to your pasta salad. You can also top with grated parmesan cheese for a savory garnish.
About the Author
Author

Nancy Roberts

Nancy Roberts Realty was founded to provide integrity and innovation, honesty and good old-fashioned customer service. Our mission is to provide the most professional real estate services available in Western North Carolina (including Burke, Catawba and Caldwell Counties.) With our expertise and dedication, we will guide you through buying or selling.  

Nancy Roberts Realty was founded on integrity, innovation and good old fashioned customer service. We treat you the way we like to be treated with honesty and respect.

We are relationship people, your not just a customer to us but a new friend. We are skilled at matching people with properties - we listen carefully to your needs to find you the perfect property.

Our mission is to provide the most professional real estate services available in Western North Carolina (including Alexander, Burke, Catawba and Caldwell Counties.)

With our expertise and dedication, we will guide you through each step of the buying or selling process, including choosing a lender, home inspector and moving company.

Let us help you find your property today!