Pasta salad

How to make an easy pasta salad.

This  pasta recipe of today is one of those summer dishes, ideal for the job of the job , a picnic in the country or a beach meal.

The fact is that the heat starts and the body asks me to go outside and enjoy myself.

And what better, for a full day where we have the environment and assured company, than to bring a light meal to fully enjoy a day of partying.

In fact, it reminds me of family beach days. Where, to take full advantage, we moved with all the duffel bag, the umbrella, the towels, the chairs and the table.

Of course, the potato omelette taper , the breaded fillets, the Russian salad , the potato salad  and, of course, the pasta salad . With the intention of not returning until nightfall.

I am sure that in each house a variant with one or the other ingredients is prepared and today’s one is almost the same as the one my mother has always prepared.

The only novelty, which for me was a discovery, is adding a little fresh basil and arugula to the salad, it gives a fresh and new touch, I recommend it.

Remember to use a good pasta, in this case, Mafalda cuts Garofalo and some fresh and quality vegetables. Perfect for the tupper at work and for Sunday at the pool, you will tell me.

Before starting with the salad. The base ingredients

1. The next step will be to cut the Mozarella cheese into small cubes. We reserve.
2. We chop the tomato into more or less large pieces, according to the taste of each one. If the tomatoes are of much better quality.
3. I advise you to peel the tomatoes in the salad, chop them before and incorporate them into the salad. We reserve.
4. We cook the free-range eggs. We cover a small saucepan or casserole with cold water and cook them 7 minutes from the boil.
5. We should not cook them any longer as a dark greenish halo is formed.
6. It is around the yolk that is unpleasant to the eye, we drain and reserve. With these indications you have to be perfect.

Pasta cooking

1. We cook the pasta in plenty of salted water for the time indicated by the manufacturer.
2. The cooking time will depend on the size of the pasta that we use and the brand. So it is best to be guided by what the package indicates. In this case, Mafalda is short, so 9 minutes is the recommended time.
3. Drain the pasta once cooked, and cool with cold water to cut the cooking. We drain again and reserve.

Final presentation of the pasta salad

1. In a large bowl add the cooled cooked pasta and add the olives, the mozzarella, the arugula, the fresh basil, the diced tomatoes and stir everything well.
2. Salt and stir well to integrate all the ingredients.
3. Prepare the dressing by mixing the olive oil, vinegar and salt. In the theme of this traditional vinaigrette it goes by tastes. Today we have prepared it with 50% oil and vinegar. But if you like it with less vinegar it would be 2 parts of oil and one part of vinegar. Add to the bowl.
4. We put everything together with a wooden spoon, mixing all the ingredients well.
5. We chop the eggs, they are 4, so we have one per person. We can cut everything into small pieces and add to the salad or cut into quarters and put on top when serving.
6. We put in the fridge and we will have our salad ready in a few hours.
7. Finally we decorate with some basil leaves on top when we go to serve.

Here you have a salad for these hot days where you want to eat a plate full of vitamins.

A perfect dish for summer. Here you can see all the step by step photos of the pasta salad recipe .

Do not miss any detail and it will be perfect, come on, I’m sure you are going to prepare it a few times.

Tips for a yummy pasta salad

• Tomatoes that are real, will give it that flavor we want for our salad. But they must be a little hard so that it maintains its shape when it comes to mixing with the rest of the ingredients. This way we will get a better result and flavor with this little trick.
• The vinaigrette is a world that can be tuned to the taste of each house. I recommend using flavored vinegars that you will find in all supermarkets. I can even substitute the vinegar for lime or lemon.
• Another way to flavor your salad is to add a touch of Dijon mustard or aromatic herbs such as oregano.
• Of course, this salad is better overnight. With what we have to put in the fridge to cool a little, it will be perfect very fresh, just delicious. It does not allow freezing and will last you in the fridge for several days without problem.