Pasta
$0.87per plate
Prep
20 min
Pasta · Pasta Salad
Pasta Salad
Pasta salad is the easiest cold dish to bring to a cookout: springy rotini, crisp raw vegetables, and cubes of mozzarella tossed in a bright homemade vinaigrette, all made ahead and served chilled. This classic version skips the bottled dressing and the heavy mayo for a tangy red wine vinaigrette you shake together in a jar, so it stays light and never gloppy. One big bowl feeds eight for about a dollar twenty-five a plate. It sits right alongside our other cheap weeknight pasta dinners and baked pasta; for a warm, creamy counterpart, try our creamy garlic pasta, price up front.
$1.25per plate
Estimated recipe total
$10.00 · serves 8
Cook
10 min
Total
1 hr 30 min
Serves
8
Recipe from Budget Plates · https://www.budgetplates.com/pasta-salad
Equipment
- Large pot
- Colander
- Jar or small bowl, for shaking the vinaigrette
Variations
- Add a can of drained chickpeas or white beans for extra protein.
- Swap the black olives for kalamata olives and a handful of fresh basil for a brighter, more Mediterranean take.
- Stir a spoonful of pesto into the vinaigrette for a different flavor base.
1 How to make it
1
Cook and cool the pasta
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook the rotini to just al dente, usually 1 minute less than the package says, since it keeps softening as it sits. Drain it, then rinse under cold running water until fully cool. For a cold pasta salad you do want to rinse: it stops the cooking, cools the pasta fast, and rinses off the surface starch so the noodles stay separate instead of gumming together. Drain it well so no water dilutes the dressing.
2
Shake the vinaigrette
In a jar or small bowl, combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon, minced garlic, parmesan, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, and sugar. Seal and shake (or whisk) until it looks thick and blended. The Dijon emulsifies it so the oil and vinegar cling to the pasta instead of sliding off, the pinch of sugar rounds off the sharp acid, and the garlic and herbs carry the flavor. Taste and adjust the salt and vinegar to your liking.
3
Prep the vegetables and cheese
Halve the cherry tomatoes, quarter and slice the cucumber, dice the bell pepper, thinly slice the red onion, and drain the olives well. Pat the tomatoes and cucumber dry before they go in: a quick blot keeps their juice from watering down the salad as it chills. Cube the mozzarella.
4
Dress the pasta warm
Put the drained pasta in a large bowl and pour about three-quarters of the vinaigrette over it while the pasta is still barely warm, tossing to coat. Dressing the pasta while it is warm lets it soak up the flavor instead of just wearing it. Reserve the rest of the dressing for serving.
5
Add everything and chill
Add the tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, red onion, olives, and mozzarella and fold everything together gently so the cheese and vegetables stay whole. Cover and chill at least 1 hour, so the flavors meld and the salad is cold all the way through.
6
Refresh and serve
Just before serving, pour on the reserved dressing and toss again. Chilled pasta drinks up dressing and can taste dry, so that final splash brings it right back to bright and glossy. Taste once more for salt, and serve cold.
2 Cheaper ingredient swaps
- Any short pasta. Rotini, farfalle (bow tie), fusilli, or penne all hold the dressing well. Avoid long noodles like spaghetti, which clump when cold.
- Swap the cheese. Cubed cheddar or crumbled feta both work in place of mozzarella; feta pushes it toward a Greek style, so use it if that is the flavor you want.
- Make it a meal. Fold in diced salami, pepperoni, or leftover chicken to turn the side into lunch. These add-ins are figured separately from the base cost.
- Bottled dressing shortcut. A bottle of Italian dressing can stand in for the homemade vinaigrette in a pinch, though the scratch version is cheaper and less sweet.
3 Budget tips
- A box of rotini, a handful of garden vegetables, and one ball of mozzarella feed eight for about a dollar twenty-five a plate.
- A shake-in-a-jar vinaigrette costs pennies and skips the sugar and additives of bottled dressing.
- Buy whatever vegetables are cheapest that week; pasta salad is forgiving, so swap in what is on sale.
- It is even better made a day ahead, so one bowl covers a potluck and next-day lunches.
- See more recipes priced per serving in the Budget Plates Index.
4 Storage, freezing & reheating
Fridge
Refrigerate covered for up to 4 days. The pasta drinks up dressing as it sits, so stir in a splash of olive oil or a little extra vinegar before serving leftovers to loosen it back up.
Freezer
Pasta salad does not freeze well. The vegetables turn mushy and weep water as they thaw and the dressing separates, so make it fresh and keep it in the fridge.
Reheating
None needed; pasta salad is served cold straight from the fridge. If it has stiffened in the cold, let it sit out about 10 minutes and toss with a little reserved dressing before serving.
5 Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
360
Protein
11g
Fat
18g
Carbs
38g
Estimates per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not a substitute for medical advice.
6 Frequently asked questions
Should I rinse the pasta for pasta salad?
Yes. For a cold pasta salad, rinse the cooked pasta under cold water: it stops the cooking, cools it quickly, and washes off the surface starch so the noodles stay separate instead of clumping. (For hot pasta dishes you skip the rinse, because that starch helps the sauce cling.)
How do I keep pasta salad from drying out?
Dress the pasta while it is still warm so it soaks up flavor, then hold back about a quarter of the vinaigrette and toss it in right before serving. Pasta keeps absorbing dressing as it chills, so that final splash is what keeps it from tasting dry.
Can I make pasta salad ahead of time?
Yes, and it is better for it. Make it up to a day ahead so the flavors meld, keep it covered in the fridge, and refresh it with the reserved dressing just before serving.
How is $1.25 a plate figured?
About $10.00 for the whole bowl, eight servings, so roughly $1.25 each. The mozzarella and olive oil are the biggest costs; the pasta and vegetables are cheap. Optional meat or extra cheese is figured separately.
Helpful Tools for This Recipe
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- Chef's knife. One sharp chef's knife handles almost all the chopping, from onions to chicken, and replaces a drawer of gadgets. Best for all-purpose prep in essentially every recipe on the site.
- Cutting board. A large, stable cutting board makes prep faster and safer, which matters when you cook most nights. Best for everyday chopping of onion, garlic, and vegetables across nearly every recipe.
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