Anybody have some foolproof cold pasta salad recipes?

I need some good cold pasta recipes that can substitute as lunches for when the weather gets hot. I try to steer away from using excessive amounts of mayo so any others would be fine. Have any good ones to share? Oh..I'm not a vegetarian so you can put some meat in them. (Tuna, ham, turkey...stuff like that)Anybody have some foolproof cold pasta salad recipes?
My favorite cold pasta salad is :


boiled ';bow tie'; pasta


sliced spanish (black) olives


fresh basil (finely shredded)


semi-dried or sundried tomatoes





Mix all the ingredients together with a little olive oil and garlic. Top with some shaved parmesan cheese.





It is great because it is really fast, really different and tasty and best of all can be made from things that can all be stored for long periods in your cupboard.Anybody have some foolproof cold pasta salad recipes?
just an added tip, if you are unable to keep it cold, don't use mayo, use Veganaise, there are no eggs so it can stay in your lunchbox, plus you can't tell the difference in taste. my husband loves it and he eats anything. Report Abuse

Creamy Fruit Pasta Salad


Just three ingredients combine for a delicious and quick fruit salad perfect for lunch or brunch.





INGREDIENTS:


1 cup uncooked macaroni rings


2 cups creamy deli fruit salad


1/2 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed





PREPARATION:


Cook macaroni rings as directed on package. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again. Combine with fruit salad and whipped topping in a large bowl. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving. Store in refrigerator.
I like using different kinds of pasta...rotini,penne,shells,etc.





Tuna is a fav, or diced ham.





Cubed cheese





Diced tomatoes, peas, diced cucumbers,celery are good veggies





Mayo is good, but italian dressing..........or Ranch would probably keep the salads better off.
Easy Pasta Salad


INGREDIENTS





* 1 pound penne pasta


* 1 head broccoli, cut into florets


* 1 red bell pepper, julienned


* 1 (6.5 ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts


* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese


* salt and pepper to taste





DIRECTIONS





1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 minutes. Add broccoli and cook 2 minutes more. Drain pasta and broccoli and rinse with cold water until cool.


2. In large bowl, combine pasta, broccoli, red bell pepper, the artichoke hearts with their marinade, Parmesan, salt and pepper. Toss, adjust seasoning and serve.
I boil a ton of pasta to make a lot of pasta salad and freeze some. To the pasta add, brocolli florets, matchstick carrots, cubed cucumbers and sliced red peppers. Mix italian dressing with spicy brown mustard and pour over all. Chill. Easy and mmmmmm!
I make a tuna pasta salad using elbow macaroni, a large can of tuna in water, mayonaise(as much to your taste), red onion chopped, 1 pound of elbow macaroni, salt and pepper to taste,,,and mix it all up,,,thats it,,,we love it and it lasts.(sometimes we put salad dressing in it too)instead of mayo!!
Yea go to a restaurant.
Boil up some tricolor pasta. Chop up some celery, carrotts, and red bell pepper. Mix up some Good Seasons Garlic and Herb dressing. I use champagne vinegar and really good olive oil, but you could whatever kind you like. Mix it all together and you have cold pasta salad. You can mix in a meat if you like to make a complete meal. Also you can add other veggies if you like, those are just the ones that I like. Also you can use whatever kind of dressing you like. It's pretty good with fat free Italian if you're watching your calories really hard.
macaroni salad


1 lb mac noodles cooked and drained


mayo


a little mustard


onion finely chopped


bell pepper chopped


a can of sweet peas


you can also add tomatoes, cucumbers or anything else you like
COLD PASTA SALAD





1 lb. pasta, cooked %26amp; drained


1 cup Italian salad dressing or vinaigrette


1 tablespoon Salad Supreme seasoning


3 tomatoes, chopped


2 cucumbers, chopped


1 1/2 red onions, chopped


2 green peppers, chopped





Combine all above ingredients into a very large bowl and marinate overnight. Put a lid over your bowl. Serve cold.
I toss pasta with Italian or balsamic dressing and add items like bell peppers, peas, cukes, onions.
no i can't think of any
I love this: Quantities are up to you


Cooked pasta (I use shells)


Tuna


Red Onion fined choped


Frozen (and defrosted !!) peas and sweetcorn


Chopped red chili (use seeds if you like hot)


little lime juice


Mayo





It is really delious and hope you try it and like it:)
Chopped meats(ham or turkey)


Pepperoni slices or dice


cooked colored pasta(not overcooked at all)


chopped purple onion, celery, brocolli, green onions,


shredded carrots


black %26amp; green olives


Parmesan cheese grated


finely shredded Italian cheese


and any other veggies you like. You can't go wrong with any thing you add or amounts.


Pour Italian Dressing over all, stir %26amp; chill.





I never do make it the same way twice.
Spaghetti Salad





1 box Angel Hair Pasta


Fresh Summer Veggies of your choice


Carrots, zucchini, tomato, onion, cucumber, celery, bell peppers. Which ever you prefer.


Cubed ham or Sliced pepperoni


Shredded cheese


Olives either black or green








Cook pasta with a table spoon of ITALIAN SEASONING.


While pasta is cooking, chop your veggies. I especially like colorful ones. When pasta is cooled, drain and rinse with cold water.





Place in large bowl and toss in veggies, ham or pepperoni, olives and cheese.





Dress with the ITALIAN DRESSING of your choice.





This is even better when refrigerated over night. Since there is no mayo, it is awesome as a summer picnic salad.
i am sure you have lots of ideas now...


my favorite is too use a tri-color pasta, using evoo, either a can of tuna or salmon..shredded carrot, diced celery and onions...


my child friendlier version consists of sliced thin apples, celery, sliced salami...


u can really be creative...i have never been a fan of tuna casserole, but i love pasta salads...
Ingredients:





4 cups cooked macaroni


1 tomato


1 cucumber


1 onion


1 cup fat free ranch dressing


seasoned salt





Cut vegetables into small pieces.


Mix with pasta.


Add ranch dressing.


Sprinkle with seasoned salt to taste





Ham Pastiche





1 cup cooked pasta shells


1/2 cup ham, chopped


1/2 cup cheddar cheese, cubed or shredded


1/2 cup black olives, sliced


1/4 cup bell pepper, finely chopped


1/4 cup onion, finely chopped


1 teaspoon prepared mustard


1/2 cup mayonnaise


Salt and pepper





Combine first five ingredients in a dressing made my blending the


mustard into the mayonnaise. Season and chill.





Italian Pasta Salad





1 Package Spaghetti noodles


1Jar spaghetti sauce


1 jar Italian dressing


Optional ingredients


Parmesan cheese


olives


chopped ham, salami





Cook spaghetti according to package. Drain. Pour in Italian dressing,


spaghetti sauce, any optional ingredients and chill.





Ranch Style Pasta Salad





1 Package noodles


1 Package make-at-home ranch dressing


Optional Ingredients:


peas


chopped ham


bacon bits


carrots





Make ranch dressing according to package and chill while pasta is being


prepared. Cook pasta according to package. After pasta is drained


make sure to let pasta dry before pouring on dressing.


Add optional ingredients


if desired. Serve or Chill.





0.5 kg pastas twists


240 g shrimp or chicken


1/2 cup mushrooms, marinated


1/2 cup peas, frozen


1/2 cup carrots, shredded


1/2 cup cheese, diced


60 ml parsley, chopped


1/2 cup virgin olive oil


1/4 cup lemon juice, fresh


2 anchovies fillets, chopped


40 ml garlic, finely chopped


salt


pepper, freshly ground





Method:


Cook pasta according to directions. Rinse quickly to stop cooking and place in large serving bowl. Add coarsly chopped shimp or chicken or both. Cook peas until not quite done drain and rinse in cold water.





Add to pasta along with mushrooms and other veggies and cheese. Mix olive oil, lemon juice, chopped anchovies and parsley in a separate bowl and add to pasta. Toss everything together until pasta is well coated. Let sit in refrigerator for 2 hours. Season with salt and pepper and serve over beds of lettuce with lemon wedges.





1 cup T. Marzetti庐 Asiago Peppercorn Dressing


1 pound Penne pasta, cooked, drained and cooled


1 1/2 pounds Grilled or roasted boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced


8 ounces Feta cheese, crumbled


1 (16 ounce) jar pitted kalamata olives, halved


1 teaspoon Dried oregano or Italian seasoning


6 Sundried tomatoes packed in oil, diced


2 medium Roasted sweet peppers (in jar) packed in water, sliced thin


1 (6 ounce) package Baby spinach leaves, cleaned


DIRECTIONS


In large bowl, combine all ingredients with T. Marzetti Asiago Peppercorn Salad Dressing. Toss well. Serve. Store remaining portion, covered in the refrigerator.





Soy-Ginger Dressing:


3 medium garlic cloves, minced


6 tablespoons soy sauce


1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar


1 tablespoon sugar


1 tablespoon sesame oil


1 teaspoon ground ginger


3/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes


2 tablespoons mayonnaise


1/4 cup vegetable oil





Pasta Salad:


2 tablespoons salt


1 pound penne pasta


8 ounces broccoli florets


1 pound rare deli roast beef, sliced 1/8 inch thick and cut into bite-size strips


3 medium carrots, peeled and coarsely grated


1 medium red bell pepper, cut into bite-size strips


2 cups bean sprouts


3 green onions, thinly sliced


1/2 cup chopped roasted (or honey-roasted) peanuts


1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro


DIRECTIONS


Mix garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, ginger, and pepper flakes in a 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup. Whisk in mayonnaise until smooth, then in a slow steady stream, whisk in oil to make an emulsified dressing; keep chilled until ready to toss with salad. Store in a clean jar with lid.


Bring 1 gallon of water and 2 tablespoons of salt to boil in a large soup kettle. Add pasta and, using package times as a guide, boil, stirring frequently and adding broccoli the last 1 minute, until just tender. Drain thoroughly (do not rinse) and dump onto a large, lipped cookie sheet. Set aside while preparing remaining salad ingredients.


Place all salad ingredients (except soy-ginger dressing) in a large bowl or transfer to a gallon-size zipper bag. (Can be covered and refrigerated several hours at this point). When ready to serve, add dressing; toss to coat and serve.





1 (8 ounce) package uncooked tri-color rotini pasta


6 ounces pepperoni sausage, diced


6 ounces provolone cheese, cubed


1 red onion, thinly sliced


1 small cucumber, thinly sliced


3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper


3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper


1 (6 ounce) can pitted black olives


1/4 cup minced fresh parsley


1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese





1/2 cup olive oil


1/4 cup red wine vinegar


2 cloves garlic, minced


1 teaspoon dried basil


1 teaspoon dried oregano


1/2 teaspoon ground mustard seed


1/4 teaspoon salt


1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper


DIRECTIONS


Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add rotini pasta, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente. Drain, and rinse with cold water.


In a large bowl, mix the cooled pasta, pepperoni, provolone cheese, red onion, cucumber, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, olives, parsley, and Parmesan cheese.


In a jar with a lid, mix the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, basil, oregano, ground mustard, salt, and pepper. Seal jar, and shake well.


Pour the dressing mixture over the pasta salad, and toss to coat. Cover, and chill 8 hours in the refrigerator
PLUS Rotini Mediterranean Pasta Salad


Ease of preparation: easy





Prep Time: 2 hours





Cook time: 10 minutes





Servings: 7-9





Regions:





Wine pairing: WhiteCOOK pasta according to package directions. Drain and drizzle with a


small amount of olive oil. Refrigerate for 2 hours.


COMBINE cherry tomatoes, olives, tuna, cheese, capers, basil, salt, pepper


and remaining oil. Marinate for 2 hours.


TOSS pasta and marinated ingredients in a large bowl.
vinegar, lots of onions, cheese, maybe some ranch dressing, or blue cheese., ham, salami