Delicious pasta salad in 7 variations that makes every party a real success

Whether at a barbecue, at a lavish party buffet or in a picnic basket, a delicious pasta salad is the absolute party classic. For the tasty salad, the ingredients can be varied according to your own taste, so that the pasta salad meets practically every taste. There are no limits to the imagination when it comes to flavors. Convince yourself and find delicious variations below that you can prepare at home in a few minutes and modify as you wish.

Prepare delicious pasta salad – classic pasta salad with mayonnaise

There are certainly as many pasta salad recipes as there are the most varied types of pasta. If you like it hearty and prefer classic recipes, you can prepare a classic pasta salad. The combination of crunchy vegetables with a creamy and light mayonnaise dressing is simply delicious. You can easily prepare it in a few minutes using the following ingredients and serve the salad as a nutritious side dish:

• 450 g pasta (short pasta or mussels)
• 3 hard-boiled eggs, diced
• 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 1 red pepper, finely chopped
• 1/4 red onion, chopped
• 4 pickles, chopped into small pieces
• 230 g mayonnaise
• some cucumber juice
• 2 teaspoons of sugar
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• salt and pepper
• Parsley, finely chopped

Cook the noodles according to the package directions, rinse them with cold water until they cool, and let them drain well. Then put the drained noodles in a large bowl and add the chopped vegetables. For the dressing, mix the mayonnaise, cucumber juice, sugar and Dijon mustard in a small bowl and season to taste. Add the dressing to the macaroni and vegetable mixture and stir well until the noodles are evenly coated with the dressing.

Italian pasta salad with homemade dressing

A delicious pasta salad that brings a good touch of Italy to the table and pampers the palate with fine ingredients such as salami, olives, tomatoes, mini mozzarella balls and aromatic basil leaves? Here are the ingredients for about 8 servings:

For the Italian dressing:

• 230 ml of extra virgin olive oil
• 50 ml of red wine or white wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1 large clove of garlic, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil and oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
• salt and pepper
• optional: 1 tbsp sugar
• optional: 1/2 teaspoon dried chili flakes

For the pasta salad:

• 300 g spiral noodles or other pasta of your choice
• 180 g salami, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 200 g mini mozzarella balls, halved
• 1 red pepper, cut into strips
• 250 g whole olives (e.g. Sicilian olives)
• 100 g cherry tomatoes, halved
• A handful of fresh basil leaves

Put the ingredients for the dressing in a sealable container and shake well. Boil the pasta, rinse with cold water and drain. Mix the pasta with the remaining ingredients and pour the aromatic dressing over them. Serve at room temperature.

Prepare delicious vegetarian pasta salad – Mediterranean avocado and chickpea pasta salad with lemon and basil vinaigrette

If you want to prepare a vegetarian and Mediterranean-style pasta salad with strong and extra refreshing dressing, then the following simple pasta salad recipe might be something to your taste.

Ingredients for the pasta:

• 230 whole grain noodles or gluten-free pasta
• 1 can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 400 g feta, crumbled
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1/4 red onion, sliced
• optional: a handful of pitted Kalamata olives

For the vinaigrette:

• Juice of one lemon
• 1 clove of garlic
• 2 tbsp olive oil or avocado oil
• fresh basil leaves
• dried oregano
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• for garnish: basil leaves

Vegan pasta salad with sun-dried tomatoes, asparagus and portobello mushrooms

The next pasta salad recipe, which we have selected for you, will offer you a special taste experience and spoil you with the spicy taste of asparagus and the intense aroma of dried tomatoes. This delicious pasta salad is vegan and gluten-free and can be served hot or cold.

Ingredients:

• 280 g pasta of your choice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 2 1/2 cups portobello mushrooms, chopped
• 1 cup asparagus, chopped
• 3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and sliced
• Sea salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Prepare the pasta as described above. Put olive oil in a large pan and sauté the garlic over medium heat. Add mushrooms and asparagus and fry. Then stir in the dried tomatoes and add the cooked pasta. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with fresh basil.

Delicious pasta salad with arugula pesto

A cold pasta salad is a particularly suitable dish in summer. Pasta dishes are often enjoyed with pesto rosso or verde, which give them a special and characteristic taste. A delicious pasta salad with pesto is therefore an excellent idea. If you want to put something unusual on the table this time, you can prepare a homemade pesto from rocket instead of basil pesto.

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 300 g pasta of your choice
• 80 g air-dried beef ham (e.g. bresaola), cut into strips
• 100 g rocket
• 30 g grated parmesan cheese
• 100 g hard cheese (e.g. provolone), diced
• 20 g pine nuts
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 radish, peeled and thinly sliced
• salt and pepper

For the pesto, wash the rocket lettuce, pat dry and process it together with the pine nuts and parmesan to a homogeneous mass. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix the pasta well with the rocket pesto and the remaining ingredients.

Recipe for pasta salad with tuna and mayonnaise

A harmonious trio results from the combination of pasta, tuna and mayonnaise. These products are often used together in various recipes for a reason. The spicy mayo taste, the light bite in the pasta and the juicy pieces of tuna create a harmonious composition. Broccoli adds that certain something to this pasta salad recipe. You can either add the broccoli florets and stems raw or briefly blanch them beforehand. Just try it out! A quick and easy pasta salad with a lot of flavor.

Ingredients:

• 1 broccoli head, florets and stems cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 1 cup of mayonnaise (e.g. mayo with avocado oil)
• 2 cans of tuna
• 250 g small mussel noodles
• Salt and pepper to taste

Colorful and tasty pasta salad recipe for children

If there are true noodle fans, it is undoubtedly the children. If you offer a little gourmet a pasta dish, you are always right, regardless of whether the pasta is served cold or warm, with or without sauce. The dish on offer should be healthy, nutritious and colorful. A delicious pasta salad for children should ideally also be eaten with the fingers. So even the very little ones who have not yet mastered the use of the fork can enjoy this delicacy.

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 280 g whole wheat pasta
• 340 g chicken breast fillet
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup edamame, peeled and cooked
• 1 cup cheese, finely diced

Cook the pasta in salted water according to the instructions on the packet, drain and rinse with cold water. Drizzle the chicken breast fillet with a tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt. Brown the meat in a pan or cook it in the oven. Let cool a little and cut into bite-sized pieces. Put the pasta, meat, edamame and cheese in a large bowl and stir everything well.