Want to learn a quick pasta salad recipe you can make in less than 15 minutes?

This quick pasta salad is super simple and it’s perfect if you want to plan your meals in advance to save time. Basically you can make a pasta salad with pretty much whatever you like, but there are some ingredients that definitely work better than others. Moreover if you are looking for something for your lunchbox, choosing the right ingredients is key. Some of the ingredients you might use for your pasta salad may become watery shortly after being seasoned with salt (that helps to extract the moisture in food).

QUICK TIP: If you want to speed up things and have the pasta ready under 10 minutes, you can boil the pasta in the pressure cooker. In a good pressure the pot reaches the pressure in a couple of minutes and it takes around 5 minutes to cook a short pasta.

Best ingredients for a pasta sald

So, what can I use to make my pasta salad that keeps perfect for longer? I definitely recommend a base that you can customize upon your taste, and other ingredients you can add to make it different any time.

BASIC SEASONING

• tomato spread
• basil pesto
• arugula pesto
• extra virgin olive oil

ADD ONS

• olives (green or black or whatever you have on hand)
• capers
• grilled vegetables (peppers, zucchini, eggplants)
• marinated eggplant
• smoked salmon
• ham
• canned tuna (I recommend skipjack to lower the quantity of mercury)
• fresh tomatoes
• boiled shrimps
• chickpeas or beans
• lemon zest
• feta cheese
• mozzarella

WHAT TO AVOID 

If you are going to eat the pasta immediately there is no specific ingredient that can make any difference. However if you want to prepare the dish the night before and have it ready for a party, or lunchbox, you might what to skip all those fresh vegetables that can ooze out all the moisture when seasoned with salt.

• Fresh tomatoes: A classic example is tomatoes. If you want to make the pasta ahead of time and keep it ready in the fridge, you should not be adding fresh tomatoes. The seasoning will become watery and will definitely ruin the salad. Add tomatoes only a few minutes before serving.
• Lettuce and leafy salads: leafy greens in general does not go well with pasta salads. Moreover as tomatoes, when seasoned in advance the salt will extract the water from the leaves that will become mushy and the seasoning watery.
• Mayonnaise and other dressings: I usually do not like dressings, and I do not recommend to use it for pasta salads, it might be good when eaten immediately but all those ingredients in the dressing will cover up everything else and you’ll add a lot of salt, emulsifiers, bad oils and whatnot to a very healthy dish. Stick to extra virgin olive oil or a good stone pressed oil (not extracted chemically).

PUT IT ALL TOGETHER: MAKE YOUR OWN PASTA

Once your pasta is boiled and cooled down you can season it with the basic sauce and then add a mix of the other ingredients in the list.
The basic version in this recipe is vegan, it uses only pasta and vegetables and is perfect for anyone. So are you ready to make your own recipe?
You can try:
– pesto, salmon and lemon zest
– mozzarella and marinated eggplants
– shrimps and grilled zucchini with tomato spread and pesto
– capers, feta, olives and tomato spread

The cold pasta magic: how to turn carbs into fibers

Did you know that cold pasta is magic? Cooling down pasta is a great way to change the basic structure of it, and turn carbs into resistant starches (AKA fibers). This way you will increase the content of fibers in the pasta and reduce the carbs. Those additional fiber you’re getting will help your microbiome increase diversity, and stay healthy.
But there is more! you can add even more resistant starches when you heat the pasta again. That’s why I often recommend to boil some pasta on Sunday, toss it with some oil to keep it separated then put it in the fridge and have it ready to use both for hot and cold dishes.

Why you’ll love this quick pasta salad

This recipe in particular is very tasty, the capers, olives and sun-dried tomato spread make it flavorful and refreshing. Additionally you will get a lot of good nutrients from this dish: quercetin, lycopene good fats and fibers. Everything you need to have to fight chronic inflammation, aging and other diseases.

That’s not all though, this pasta is perfect if you are on a diet, if you want to eat more vegetables, and if you are vegan that’s great too.
Last but not least, you can make a quick pasta salad with what you have at home, no need for fancy ingredients.

Ingredients for 4 servings

• 380gr of short pasta
• 3 tomatoes (I used a wonderful orange tomato type that look like an apricot)
• 2 tablespoons of sun-dried tomato spread
• 1 tablespoon of capers
• 2 tablespoons of olives
• 1 teaspoon of basil pesto (optional)
• extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to taste

How to prepare a quick pasta salad

Step 1 
Boil the pasta (you can take a look at my post to learn how to cook pasta like an Italian).
Chop the tomatoes, capers and olives.

Step 2
While the pasta is cooking, take a large bowl and add all the other ingredients, then season with salt pepper and extra virgin olive oil.

Step 3
Drain the pasta and cool it under running cold water, or put it into a large bowl with icy water.

Step 4 
Add the pasta into the bowl with the seasoning and mix well, and now you’re good to go!