Looking for a good Pasta Salad recipe

I am a poor judge of how much spaghetti noodles to fix for two people.

I have a lot left over so I am trying to come up with something.

Years ago I liked pasta salad so I thought I would ask for help.

Does anyone have pasta salad recipes?

Anne,

pasta - conchiglioni tastes the best in this dish
chopped tomatoes, must be flavorful
olive oil
lemon juice + some lemon zest
salt
black pepper
a lot of chopped parsley

Instead of parsley you can use dill or mint or/and scallions.

Probably not the highest quality pasta salad you'll ever eat, but it's good, quick and dead simple:

1) Cool pasta.
2) Stir in Italian dressing.
3) Eat.

My son likes to add mini pepperoni slices and shredded colby-jack cheese. (Substitute any other cheese you think would be better.) If you like olives or tomatoes, they'd probably go well too. Sometimes I think lightly cooked fresh or frozen peas would be good in it.

Soba Sriracha Salad
I use soba noodles but no reason spaghetti would not work for this recipe.

These all sound delicious!  Thanks, everyone.

Not really a recipe, but reviewing the potato salad thread got me thinking about a pasta salad I like to make in the summer.

One box of pasta in your favorite shape, cooked, rinsed, cooled. Elbow macaroni and rotini are my favorites for this.
Diced/cubed ham
diced/cubed cheese (usually mild cheddar)
finely diced cucumber (about half the size of a regular dice, I think)
mayo
parmesan cheese

No measurements. Everything is to taste, or so it looks good to you. Let chill for several hours so flavors can meld. I don't know why, but somehow this salad feels extra cooling to me on a hot day. Maybe it's the cucumber.

It would be great with additions like peas fresh from the garden, some minced onion or garlic (or both) or fresh herbs. And I'm sure it would work fine with other meats and/or cubed cheeses.


There's another one that's pretty simple, but maybe more interesting in terms of flavor. Your favorite pasta with, mozzarella chunks, diced onion, salami, sliced black olives, and Italian dressing. All chilled and tasty. Someone brought it to a pot luck a few summers ago, and everyone was raving about it. I've even made it at home so my husband could try it (the original wasn't gluten-free).

Not a salad but a recipe for leftover spaghetti that is packed with carbs.

My husband actually cooks fresh spaghetti especially to make this dish.

Dice pancetta and sauté in butter, beat an egg and combine with the pasta, pancetta and add grated Parmesan.

Heat pan with butter and olive oil, pour in pasta and cook each side approximately 5 minutes each side until golden brown.