Creamy Pasta Salad with Mayo

Creamy Pasta Salad with Mayo

Super yum right??!! I love having a few easy side dish recipes ready when we are invited over for a potluck, BBQ, or we are having people over…after all it’s all about all the different goodies when you get together right!

When it comes down to it though it has to be EASY and things I usually already have in my fridge or are easy to grab and go at the store. Now this could be served cold or warm with a ton of different variations to it. For a Mexican flare you can tweak it with taco seasoning in the dressing which is delish. Load up the veggies for more Mediterranean.

Should pasta be cold before adding mayo?

You can use any type of shells or shape you want but you definitely want to cool them completely after boiled to al dente. If you add mayo to hot pasta, the heat can cause the mayo to break down or separate, resulting in a greasy texture rather than a creamy one. Instead, drain immediately, rinse under cold running water to stop the cooking process, and then fold in other ingredients to make creamy.

Ingredients

1. Pasta – any shape you really want
2. Mayonnaise
3. Onion
4. Red bell pepper
5. Celery
6. Use a bit of white vinegar or apple cider vinegar, even dill pickle juice works
7. Could add tomatoes and zucchini like in our roasted vegetable pasta salad
8. Hard boiled egg
9. Pepperoni or bacon bits are optional
10. Parmesan cheese

What else can you add?

Just defrost some frozen peas and fold those right in there too. Drained corn kernels would work well too, or olives! You could boil potatoes in Instant Pot, cool, and dice them too if you wanted to add another element to the dish. I will go over other ideas you could add if you aren’t a huge fan of one of the ingredients we used listed here. There are TONS of possibilities so use what you like but other options are below as well.

You really could use just about any fork sized short pasta noodle like bow tie, elbow macaroni pasta or otherwise but we will use penne for now. Of course with any pasta salad you can also add as many yummy add ins you’d like or just make it really simple, your choice. You just;

How to Make Creamy Pasta Salad with Mayonnaise

• Boil noodles until al dente, drain in a colander, run cold water over the top. Rinsing the pasta is done to stop the cooking and cool it down. Set aside.
• Combine ingredients for your creamy dressing together like the mayonnaise, vinegar and seasonings.
• Fold together with the diced vegetables, pasta, pepperoni and grated parmesan. Add drained cooked pasta and gently mix well.
• Gently fold in diced hard boiled egg. Taste, add salt and/or pepper to your liking. Top with chopped fresh parsley.
• I like to cover and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving to let it really cool and allow the flavors to deepen.

You really could serve this warm or cold but typically it is a sort of side dish for a barbecue that you would serve with chicken or beef. If you wanted it to be warm just boil and drain without cooling it down and fold in everything else right away and serve!

Should pasta be cold before adding mayonnaise?

Yes, if you add mayonnaise to hot or warm pasta, the heat can cause the mayonnaise to separate. This will result in an oily texture and an unappealing appearance and look. It also won’t stick well so you are better off letting it cool first.

How to store leftovers

You can store any sort of plain or tuna macaroni salad covered in a sealed container in refrigerator for up to 2 days. Fold in a bit more mayo with leftovers to make it creamy once again as it will dry up a bit in the cold air.

How to Make Chicken Pasta Salad with Mayo

Adding meat into the mix will transition it to more of a main dish and create a heartier dish. Anything works chopped up into small bits. As long as it is precooked you are good to go. I use leftovers in this case, a great way to make sure it doesn’t go to waste! Add bacon bits, diced ham, chopped up rotisserie chicken, added protein would be great too!

Cheese is a given for us on the top. For my husband I have found a great type of dairy free shredded varieties from Daiya at the market too. It doesn’t melt well but for cold dishes you can’t really tell the difference. I would keep this on the side if traveling with it and add once you get there or the texture will get strange. You could add;

Things to Add into a Pasta Salad

• Cubed mozzarella, cheddar, or feta cheese
• Crumbled goat cheese or blue cheese
• Red onion or green onions
• Grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano
• Sliced almonds
• Chopped walnuts
• Sunflower seeds
• Pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
• Olives, such as Kalamata or green, pitted and halved
• Roasted red peppers, chopped
• Artichoke hearts, chopped
• Corn kernels (fresh, canned, or frozen)
• Cooked and cooled beans, like chickpeas, black beans, or kidney beans

You don’t have to buy bottled from the store. There are ingredients you can whisk together at home to make something light and lo-cal like.

Pasta Salad Dressings

• Olive oil and balsamic vinegar
• Italian dressing
• Ranch dressing
• Lemon vinaigrette
• Pesto sauce
• Dijon mustard and olive oil

Seasonings you could add beyond the obvious salt and pepper to taste would be;

• Red pepper flakes for some heat
• Garlic powder or minced garlic
• Lemon zest for a burst of citrus flavor

Feel free to mix and match these ingredients to create a pasta salad that suits your taste preferences and dietary needs. Remember to balance flavors, textures, and colors for an appealing and satisfying dish. It’s nice to have a few easy side dish recipes ready for when it’s time for a BBQ or otherwise. If you love this creamy pasta salad recipe try this:

• Our simple potato salad no mayo is good but amped up to make cold bacon pasta salad is even better.
• Our dill pickle pasta salad no sour cream gets people going for sure

Here’s the entire recipe as seen here, just omit anything you’d like. 😉