Summer is here and that means pasta salad season has officially arrived. In this video, Nicole shares 3 of the best pasta salad recipes that have gone viral on social media! Learn how to make Italian Pasta Salad, Dill Pickle Pasta Salad, and Street Corn Pasta Salad by watching this video.
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00Pasta salad season is in full effect.
00:02I've been seeing so many awesome creations
00:04all over the internet that go way beyond
00:06just dumping a bottle of Italian dressing on some noodles.
00:09I'm showing you three of my favorite recipes
00:11inspired by these viral creations,
00:12and they all include the crucial components
00:15to a bowl of perfect bites.
00:16Starting, of course, with your pasta,
00:18then you've got a richness factor, a crunch component,
00:20and, of course, a delicious dressing.
00:22I'm starting with the most viral Italian pasta salad.
00:25I'm actually combining it with another viral salad,
00:28the grinder pasta salad.
00:30Of course, we gotta start with the pasta.
00:32Any pasta works, but in all these pasta salads,
00:35I love to choose ones that have grooves
00:38because it absorbs all of the saucy dressing.
00:42Since this pasta salad is most like
00:44the classic pasta salad you're used to seeing,
00:47I'm going with the fusilli noodles
00:50just to kinda keep it classic
00:51because we have so many other things going on in this salad.
00:54When it comes to cooking the pasta,
00:55this is a very important step.
00:56There are a couple rules.
00:57First of all, salt that water like the ocean,
01:00a good handful, and then you add your pasta in.
01:03You want to keep this pot at a rolling boil.
01:06This is one of the few foods
01:07that you actually cook in rolling boiling water.
01:09As soon as you put your pasta in,
01:11you wanna give it a good stir.
01:13That keeps it from sticking.
01:14In case we just met, I don't put oil in my pasta water.
01:19This stirring keeps it from sticking.
01:21And the other crucial thing to remember
01:22is that you don't wanna overcook your pasta.
01:24I'm wearing this shirt, so you remember.
01:26This is how you wanna cook your pasta, al dente,
01:28where it still has a bite to it
01:31because when it soaks in all that dressing,
01:33it's inevitably gonna soak up some of that
01:36and change the texture,
01:37soften the texture of the pasta a little bit more.
01:39While this happens, let's get our other ingredients ready.
01:42When it comes to our mix-ins,
01:43the pasta salads need a couple components.
01:45I call them a richness factor and a crunch factor.
01:49Richness can come from the meats and cheeses
01:51and then the crunchiness from the vegetables
01:53and other ingredients.
01:54Okay, so for our richness factor,
01:57the viral Italian pasta salad always has salami
01:59or maybe pepperoni, but I'm also adding some ham,
02:02which the grinder pasta salad usually has.
02:05These are great choices for pasta salad,
02:07especially the salami and pepperoni
02:08because they're already cured meats,
02:10so they can just withstand being set out for a while
02:13and they just kinda last longer in general.
02:15So I like to go by the deli
02:17and you can just get a simple slice,
02:20about a quarter to a half inch thick,
02:22and then you can cut it how you want.
02:25I like little bites of it.
02:26Sometimes if it's sliced too thin, they all stick together.
02:29Also adding the elements of richness to your pasta salad
02:33makes it more filling and can make this
02:36turn into a whole meal.
02:37You know, it doesn't just have to be a side dish.
02:39This is the kind of pasta salad that we pack up
02:41in the cooler and take to the beach
02:42because it just lasts forever.
02:45I like the turkey pepperoni
02:46because it's a little less greasy, so that's what I use.
02:49I just kinda cut these in quarters or sixths.
02:53Okay, check on my pasta.
02:58A little too much bite, couple more minutes.
03:03The other part of the richness in this salad
03:06is of course the cheese.
03:07The cheese just adds that creamy, salty note
03:10that just kinda ties it all together.
03:11So again, you can get the deli
03:13just to slice you one little hunk.
03:14Sometimes this is more affordable than buying a block
03:17or if you can't find the cheese you want in a block.
03:20So I'm using provolone here
03:21because I love the sharpness of it.
03:23So I'm just gonna cut this in little cubes.
03:29Okay, now I'm gonna drain my pasta.
03:31This is one of the very few times I like to rinse it
03:34just to cool it off, just to kinda shock it a little bit.
03:37It doesn't need to be completely cold.
03:38I don't overdo it, but just enough to keep it separated
03:42and to stop the cooking.
03:44I don't want it to get too cold
03:45because I actually like the pasta
03:48to be more room temperature.
03:49It just kind of absorbs those flavors a little better.
03:51So this is good.
03:52We're just gonna let this hang out and finish.
03:54My favorite element to a pasta salad is the crunch factor.
03:58In the viral Italian salad, they have cucumber.
04:02I'm using the English cucumber because it has less seeds
04:04and then I still even like to take these out
04:07just to keep it all crunchy.
04:09Another thing when you're cutting all of your ingredients
04:12for your pasta salad, you want everything to be bite size
04:14so that you can get a little bit of everything
04:18in your bites.
04:20These fresh veggies just keep this pasta salad
04:23so kinda light and refreshing.
04:26This is also kind of a staple in my house
04:28during the school year because I just put it
04:30in their lunches.
04:32It's a great alternative to a sandwich.
04:34And it's just good just to keep in the fridge
04:36because when my kids go in there digging for a snack
04:39and a beautiful bowl of pasta salad is sitting there,
04:42sometimes they'll reach for that instead,
04:43which I think is a better choice than the Doritos.
04:45Next, some red onion.
04:47I love raw, crunchy onion in general on my burgers,
04:51on my tacos, in my pasta salad.
04:54Again, you wanna keep these kinda small.
04:56Nobody wants a big chunk of onion.
04:59Sometimes you just add ingredients for color.
05:01I'm adding this bell pepper.
05:02This is gonna add a sweet crunch to it.
05:05To me, the crunchier, the better.
05:08This is my addition to the TikTok version.
05:10This is also a good time to just clean out
05:12your produce drawer.
05:15Almost forgot the tomatoes.
05:16That's because I don't typically put them
05:17in my pasta salad because my kids don't like them.
05:20They're not here today.
05:22You can use these little baby grape tomatoes.
05:24You could also just use one tomato and kinda cube it up.
05:27The final components that don't need any prep
05:29are some olives and sliced peppers.
05:32You could throw these straight in.
05:33I just like to cut them a little bit
05:35just so they blend in better for that perfect bite
05:38and kalamata.
05:39All of our chopping is done.
05:41And the final step is the dressing.
05:45This is the real part where I combine
05:47those two viral salads into one.
05:49The viral Italian pasta salad uses this.
05:53I'm not gonna use this because A,
05:55I would have to go out and buy it
05:56and this dressing I'm gonna make,
05:57you probably have all the components in your fridge.
06:00And also because it has some ingredients
06:01that are just unnecessary.
06:04It tastes good, but we can do better.
06:07So I'm going in with Dijon,
06:08few tablespoons of the red wine vinegar.
06:11I'm also going in with a little juice from the peppers.
06:13That's our acid.
06:14Our fat is of course gonna be our olive oil.
06:17And you want a little more oil than you do acid.
06:20Garlic powder.
06:21Oregano is classic in that grinder flavor.
06:24And a little crushed red pepper.
06:26A little salt, a little pep.
06:30See, you have everything.
06:31You didn't have to go to the store
06:32and spend $4 on that.
06:34So for the olive garden salad dressing effect,
06:36you could stir in some Parmesan cheese or Romano cheese.
06:44It's delicious.
06:45Oh, I did forget something.
06:47Just like a pinch of sugar.
06:49By a pinch, like a half a teaspoon.
06:52Yes.
06:54That's what you want.
06:55Now it's time to mix it and bring in that secret ingredient.
06:59Down with our pasta.
07:01The cheese, the crunchies.
07:04The only part of this salad that I haven't done before
07:06because I wanted you to experience it with me
07:08is the secret ingredient.
07:09This is what is in the viral Italian pasta salad.
07:13Never used this before.
07:14Salad supreme seasoning.
07:15It's everywhere.
07:16You can find it anywhere.
07:17I'm just gonna trust the process.
07:19Have to taste it.
07:20That is tasty.
07:21And then the dressing over the whole thing and toss.
07:27That's a big bowl of pasta salad.
07:30Do you see how that sauce is all in each little ridge?
07:35That's what I'm talking about.
07:36This is also the pasta salad
07:38that's gonna last the longest.
07:39You can make this at the beginning of a week
07:42and eat off of it.
07:43Look at that.
07:45She's a beaut.
07:46The salad is just so pretty.
07:47You don't even need any garnishes
07:49because it's so colorful.
07:50It's got all the crunchy, the rich, the pasta, the sauce
07:54trapped up in those little noodles.
07:56Look at that.
07:58Home run.
07:59A literal flavor explosion.
08:01I'm telling you, it's worth it to take big bites
08:03so that you get everything.
08:05You know what I mean?
08:06I've got two more to make.
08:06I need to slow down.
08:07The star of this next pasta salad
08:10and don't you dare knock it before you trust me or try it.
08:13Pickles.
08:14We're making the viral dill pickle pasta salad.
08:17I'm gonna use these little mini bow ties.
08:20I think that will be so cute with this.
08:22Those little pockets are gonna absorb all that dressing.
08:24You know the drill.
08:29Get some bacon cooking while your pasta's cooking.
08:31You wanna cook this till it's nice and crispy.
08:33This is the first part of our richness element
08:37to our pasta salad.
08:38Second richness component is cheddar cheese.
08:42My favorite snack of my childhood is a saltine cracker
08:45with a piece of cheddar cheese and a slice of dill pickle.
08:48So this is just a natural combination.
08:51And you wanna take that cheddar cheese
08:53and cut it into small little cubes.
08:56For this one I want it to be really well drained
08:58because I don't want my dressing to get watery at all.
09:01So I'm just gonna let it hang out here
09:03while we make everything else.
09:05This one's really fast.
09:06The pickle, the star ingredient,
09:07is the crunch factor in this pasta salad.
09:11I'm gonna go with the fresh refrigerator pickle.
09:13If they have a lot of seeds,
09:14I'm just gonna cut like I did the other cucumber
09:17just to keep it crunchy.
09:19And for the final component, of course the dressing,
09:21what we're making here is like a really super simple
09:25fresh ranch.
09:26But I don't think you could substitute bottle ranch for this
09:28so I think you should make it the way I'm making it.
09:31All you need is a little mayonnaise
09:33and a little sour cream.
09:34All right, to that I'm just going in
09:36with a little bit of onion powder
09:37and then some of our pickle juice to kind of thin it out.
09:40And then dill.
09:42A little salt and pepper.
09:48That gets your taste buds going.
09:50It's a good idea to just kind of save
09:52just a little bit of each ingredient
09:54for the topping at the end.
09:55That's gonna be our garnish
09:56but it's also just an ingredient.
09:59You don't have to buy anything extra.
10:06Mm, that bacon.
10:07This has so much a better flavor
10:09than that old school macaroni salad
10:11that's like full of sugar.
10:13This is like all full of salty, crunchy bites.
10:15This is one that you're gonna wanna let refrigerate
10:18for at least an hour or two before serving.
10:21It's just gonna really marry those flavors
10:23and just kind of come together a little better.
10:24Like I said before, you wanna save
10:27or have a little extra of everything you put in there
10:29to put on top and then really just kind of
10:31make it a little bit easier to eat.
10:32A little extra of everything you put in there
10:34to put on top and then really try to show off
10:37the green of the pickle.
10:39Little more bacon.
10:40Final touch, a little more fresh dill.
10:43Crack of pepper, looks nice.
10:45That is gorgeous.
10:47Look at that.
10:48It only has a few ingredients
10:50but it looks way more involved than that.
10:52These little bow ties are so easy
10:53just to scoop up into the perfect bite.
10:58Mm, it's a winner.
11:00People are coming up with all kind of crazy recipes
11:02with pickles but this is one that actually makes sense.
11:05And for my final salad, we're taking it to the streets.
11:08I'm making street corn pasta salad
11:11which is also viral all over TikTok
11:13and giving it a summer vibe
11:15by adding in some fresh tomatoes.
11:17This is really a time where you wanna use the fresh stuff.
11:19Okay, there is a way you can make this using frozen corn
11:23but if you can get your hands on this,
11:25this is the way to go.
11:26If you don't know what street corn is or elote,
11:28it's grilled corn that has a nice char to it.
11:31So you get that smoky flavor
11:32and then it's slathered with this creamy sauce,
11:35a little bit of cotija cheese
11:37and it just has so much flavor.
11:38A little lime, a little chili powder.
11:40But what makes it so special
11:42is that we first have to char this corn.
11:44If you have a grill pan or a cast iron pan,
11:48you wanna get it screaming hot.
11:50If you don't have either
11:52and you want it to move really fast,
11:53you can just use the grates of your gas burner.
11:56I'm just gonna do it all.
11:57You don't have to do anything to your corn.
11:59I think some people like to oil it
12:02before they put it on.
12:02I just like to put it straight onto the grates.
12:04I don't wanna cook it too much
12:06because I still love that juicy, fresh crunch.
12:09So you just wanna put it on
12:10and then kinda give it a little turn every now and then.
12:13Once it starts getting warmed up,
12:15then it happens faster.
12:16So just kinda keep your eye on it.
12:18What's happening here is the sugar
12:20that's naturally in the corn
12:22because corn is a sweeter vegetable.
12:24Once it's getting heated, it turns brown.
12:26That's caramelization.
12:27Caramelization equals flavor.
12:29This is about what you want.
12:30You don't need every single kernel to be black,
12:33but just a good 50-50 is about what I'm looking for.
12:36You can also see as it cooks,
12:38it gets that deep yellow color.
12:40It really sets in.
12:41That's also important versus just shaving it off raw.
12:45While our corn finishes,
12:46we're gonna get the pasta going.
12:48Here's what I chose for those summer vibes.
12:52Shells.
12:53Get it?
12:55Like the beach.
12:57When your corn's done, you just wanna let it cool
12:59until it's cool enough to handle.
13:01We are al dente, and now we drain.
13:07Just enough to stop the cooking.
13:10Now we build our pasta summer vibes with our seashells.
13:14And then our corn is cool enough to handle,
13:17and this is when we're just gonna take it off the cob.
13:20I like when some of the pieces stick together.
13:23I like when some of the pieces stick together
13:26because then you just get like a juicier bite.
13:32Hear that crunch?
13:33Just gonna go ahead and add my corn straight to the bowl.
13:36I'm gonna save out some of these charred pieces
13:39for my garnish.
13:40Okay, so this is the only pasta salad we're doing today
13:44that has no meat in it.
13:46So this one is great as a side dish,
13:49or it could just be a meatless main dish.
13:51Our crunch factor is, of course, the sweet corn.
13:54Also, some jalapeno.
13:56I love the little pungency it gives.
13:58If you don't want the spice,
14:00and I'll try to keep this one mild,
14:01you just don't use all the seeds.
14:03So I just kinda trim off the sides,
14:06but most of your heat lies in this center part,
14:08so we'll just take that out.
14:12So for more crunch and freshness,
14:14some green onion, the white, and the green part.
14:17I'm gonna save some out for the garnish on top.
14:20Add that to the mix.
14:22And then essential in my street corn is cilantro.
14:29For my summer twist, I'm adding in some juicy tomatoes,
14:33just because they're really sweet this time of year.
14:36It's also just gonna add great color.
14:38That right there is what fresh looks like.
14:41And then for our richness is the cheese.
14:45Cotija cheese is common in street corn.
14:49If you can't find it, you could just use Parmesan,
14:51grated Parmesan.
14:52It's really crumbly, so I find it's easy
14:55just to crumble it with your fingers.
14:56You could also grate it,
14:57but I kinda like just these slightly bigger pieces.
15:00And then the final component is, of course, the dressing.
15:03When I make street corn, I slather it in a mayonnaise
15:06and sour cream mixture.
15:08This may not be the true, authentic way to make street corn,
15:13but it's okay.
15:14I do equal parts.
15:15Okay, and then I love to add lime here,
15:20just when you think you can't get any more juice out.
15:25Little Cholula.
15:27And one more thing, chili powder.
15:28This is usually sprinkled on top of street corn.
15:33Forgot to season it with a little salt.
15:38All right, you know the drill.
15:40Okay.
15:45Look at that.
15:46It's like summer confetti.
15:48How'd we do?
15:55This might be the best one.
15:56The level of crunchy satisfaction in this
15:58is at an all-time high.
16:00I think because the pasta's small
16:02and every little thing is the right size,
16:04you get everything in the bite.
16:06So it's just the best experience ever, eating it.
16:10And that lime juice, mm.
16:14This is one that you can eat right away.
16:17You can also save it, of course.
16:19All right, and just like the other,
16:20you wanna garnish with a little bit of everything.
16:24I'll do a couple tomatoes for the bright.
16:27A little of the cheese,
16:29and then just a little sprinkle of the chili powder,
16:32just like they do on the corn.
16:34And then finally, the star of the show,
16:36some of our little charred corn pieces.
16:38This is absolutely beautiful.
16:40Is it not?
16:42I just love all these pasta salads.
16:44Y'all, these are amazing.
16:45Of all of those viral pasta salads that are out there,
16:48these are the three you need to be making right now.
16:51If you've got those four components,
16:53the pasta, the richness factor, the crunch element,
16:57and the dressing, you're good to go.
16:59So you can even take those creations
17:00and make them your own, like I did.
17:04I almost blew it like it was hot.
17:09She's a little tired.
17:10She's a little delirious.