Pasta salad
Pasta salad (Pasta fredda) is a salad dish prepared with one or more types of pasta, almost always chilled, and most often tossed in a vinegar, oil, or mayonnaise-based dressing. It is typically served as an appetizer, side dish or a main course. Pasta salad is often regarded as a spring or summertime meal, but it can be served year round.
A pasta fredda with fusili pasta, tomato and vegetables | |
Type | Pasta |
---|---|
Course | Appetizer, side dish or main course |
Main ingredients | Pasta, vinegar or oil or mayonnaise |
Ingredients
The ingredients used vary widely by region, restaurant, seasonal availability, and/or preference of the preparer. The salad can be as simple as cold macaroni mixed with mayonnaise (a macaroni salad), or as elaborate as several pastas tossed together with a vinaigrette and a variety of fresh, preserved or cooked ingredients. Additional types of pasta may be used, such as ditalini.[1] These can include vegetables, legumes, cheeses, nuts, herbs, spices, meats, poultry, or seafood.[2] Broccoli, carrots, baby corn, cucumbers, olives, onions, beans, chick peas, peppers, and parmesan or feta cheeses are all popular ingredients in versions typically found at North American salad bars.
Commercial preparations
In Australian and New Zealand cuisine, pasta salad became increasingly popular during the 1990s when commercial versions became more readily available in supermarket stores across both Australia, and New Zealand. It is made of cooked pasta pieces (usually either shell pasta, elbow shaped pasta or penne) covered in mayonnaise and accompanied by carrots, capsicum (bell peppers), and sometimes celery. It is similar in style to the American macaroni salad.
Gallery
- The pasta salad at the Du Ve Sue in New Orleans
- Pasta salad with lobster, butter beans and chives
- A pasta salad prepared with fusili pasta
- Macaroni salad with a mayonnaise dressing
See also
References
- "Ditalini Chopped Salad". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. August 15, 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
- "Seafood Pasta Salad". Australian Women's Weekly. August 15, 2015. Retrieved 16 September 2014.