Classic Pasta Salad
15
- Prep Time10 min
- Total Time20 min
- Makes6 servings
Recipe by Jennifer Pallian. Produced by Sun Ngo. Photography by Christie Vuong. Food Styling by Ashley Denton. Prop Styling by Christine Hanlon.
This summer staple combines chilled rotini, crisp cucumber, sweet tomatoes, fresh parsley and a bright vinaigrette.
Ingredients
227 g rotini, fusilli or gamelli pasta
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup diced cucumber
2 tbsp minced parsley
Vinaigrette
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp red or white wine vinegar
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 shallot, finely chopped
Instructions
Cook pasta in salted water, following package directions, until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water. Refrigerate overnight if possible. (See Kitchen tip.)
Vinaigrette: Whisk oil with vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper and shallot in a large bowl.
Add pasta, tomatoes, cucumber and parsley to bowl. Toss to combine.
Kitchen tip Cooling pasta in the fridge overnight allows for more extensive realignment of the starch molecules. It will have a chewier texture and won’t slurp up all the dressing or break from tossing. However, you should still cool the pasta quickly in cold water first to halt the cooking process so that it stays al dente.
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Jennifer Pallian is a food scientist, recipe developer and blogger at Foodess. She lives in Vancouver.
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