77 pasta salad recipes

Pasta Nicoise salad with shell pasta, fresh tomatoes, steamed green beans, black olives, and capers tossed in a garlicky olive oil vinaigrette. Ready in 20 minutes.

Rotini with shiitake mushrooms marinated overnight in olive oil and red wine vinegar, tossed with prosciutto, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, white wine, and toasted pine nuts.

Antipasto pasta salad with salami, provolone, garbanzo beans, olives, and mushrooms in a lemon-garlic-basil dressing. A make-ahead party dish that gets better as it chills.

Creamy pasta with oysters and shrimp in a roux-based sauce spiked with anchovy paste, Tabasco, and Worcestershire. A rich Cajun-style seafood pasta that comes together in one pan.

Rotini with marinated shiitake mushrooms, prosciutto, sun-dried tomatoes, black olives, pine nuts, and Parmesan in a white wine broth. An Italian pasta with deep, layered umami flavor.

Australian-style macaroni salad with green beans, red bell pepper, celery, and shallots tossed in fat-free mayo. A light, crunchy, healthy side that comes together in 10 minutes flat.

Sautéed chicken breast coated in orange juice and flour, then simmered with balsamic vinegar, colorful peppers, and mushrooms over wagon wheel pasta. A 50-minute dinner for two with a tangy, rich pan sauce.

Macaroni, tuna salad suitable for main or sid dish

Vegan linguine with new potatoes, wilted greens, green beans, and roma tomatoes in a garlicky vegetable stock sauce with red pepper flakes. Light, hearty, no oil needed.

Shell-on shrimp simmered in a herby Worcestershire and white wine sauce over garlicky angel hair pasta. Paprika, rosemary, and thyme infuse every strand in this soul-warming shrimp pasta dinner for four.

I love this sauce! The sodium in a whole pot is less than the amount in one serving of "heart healthy" jarred sauce.

Lemony Caesar salad with homemade anchovy spread on walnut toast, a from-scratch lemon-garlic dressing, and shaved Parmesan. Three components, one composed plate.

This salad is pretty hardy, but to turn it into a main dish salad, just add pasta shells, bows, or tortellini.

Curried spiral noodle salad tosses pasta with crisp apple, sweet bell pepper, onion, and raisins in a mayo-chutney-curry dressing. A sweet-savory pasta salad chilled and served alongside cold meats.

Pasta Mexicana: a cold spinach-spaghetti pasta salad tossed with diced tomato, cucumber matchsticks, sliced avocado, salsa, and fresh cilantro. A Tex-Mex twist on summer pasta salad.

Grilled vegetable and ravioli salad with cheese-stuffed pasta, smoky grilled vegetables, and a red wine vinegar vinaigrette. An 8-minute summer dinner that turns leftover grilled vegetables into a full-meal salad.