With Memorial Day weekend coming up, everyone is getting ready to bust out their grills and fire up some BBQ. We at Supermarket Italy have already given you the 3 Best BBQ Recipes You Need for National BBQ Day, so now it’s time to fill you in on how to make easy pasta salad recipes. After all, it’s not a proper Memorial Day feast without this staple summer dish!
Sweet Fusilli Pasta Salad
The base for this pasta salad recipe is Fusilli pasta, which is perhaps the most common type of pasta used to make pasta salad. The key to any successful pasta salad recipe is being able to create a final product that is light but not lacking in flavor. For a Fusilli pasta salad that is on the sweeter side, make sure the vegetables and the dressing you use are simple and subtle.
For the dressing, we recommend the classic combination of olive oil and red vinegar. Equal parts basic and acidic, oil and vinegar make for a sweet yet tangy pasta salad dressing. Remember, these liquids will want to settle to the bottom of the bowl, so make sure you toss the pasta regularly to keep the coat even.
It’s hard to imagine a pasta salad without olives—and you don’t have to! We recommend black olives, as they are sweeter than green olives. Dice the black olives to ensure they make it into each bite of pasta salad.
Likewise, a pasta salad is not complete without peppers. Peppers come in countless varieties, from red to yellow, hot to sweet. These Sweety Drop Miniature Peppers are perfect for giving your Sweet Fusilli Pasta Salad greater body and greater sweetness. Their small, teardrop shape is not only pleasing to the eye, but makes these sweet red peppers just the right size for a pasta salad dish. Cut mozzarella cheese into small cubes and mix them in. Add some sliced red onions (not white!) for a soft tang to compliment the sweeter elements of the salad. Add a handful of fresh, sweet basil leaves (whole).
Mix thoroughly. Salt and pepper to taste.
Hot Italian Farfalle Pasta Salad
Farfalle, commonly known as bow tie pasta, always makes for a visually appealing and slightly whimsical take on the traditional pasta salad. However, we are taking the heat in this common Memorial Day dish seriously!
For our Hot Italian Farfalle Pasta Salad, we’re going to start off with some—you guessed it—Italian dressing. Feel free to make your own if you like, but these recipes are all about making your task as easy as possible. That’s why we recommend using Knorr Italian Salad Dressing Mix. All you need to do is add water and olive oil!
Now it’s time to take advantage of the natural heat peppers can offer. Add a handful of Tutto Calabria Hot Long Chili Peppers. (Since they are on the longer side, feel free to cut them into shorter pieces.)
Now, what would an Italian salad look like without meat? Silly, that’s what. Dice Hot Mastro Salami Casalingo and toss into the pasta salad bowl. Toss in Organic Sicilian Marinated Cracked Olives (green olives that have been marinated in water, olive oil, oregano, garlic, red pepper, sea salt, and citric acid).
Mix thoroughly. Grate Pecorino Romano cheese over ingredients.
Balsamic Fusilli Pasta Salad
Balsamic dressing is a wonderful summer ingredient for any salad, but have you ever tried it on pasta salad? This Balsamic Fusilli Pasta Salad recipe is a satisfying and tart middle ground between hot and sweet.
Simply toss your Fusilli in Walden Farms Balsamic Dressing along with grape tomatoes, diced red onion, and small, cubed pieces of fresh mozzarella. Add chopped fresh basil and salt and pepper to taste. Mix thoroughly.
Pesto Orecchiette Pasta Salad
Making a pasta salad out of orecchiette will probably be a delightful surprise for your Memorial Day weekend guests. These recipes may be simple, but small differences in appearance like these are enough to impress.
Orecchiette is also a useful type of pasta to use with Authentic Italian Basil Pesto Sauce as the pesto clings well to both the outer and inner parts of the pasta shell. Pesto has a mild flavor and a creamy texture, so adding too many ingredients would overwhelm the taste. Just add some sundried tomatoes and grated Parmigiano Reggianoand you’re good to go!
Throw in some salt, pepper, and Colonna Granulated Garlic to taste.