pasta salad

Chilled macaroni dish

Pasta salad is a cold dish of cooked pasta mixed with vegetables, dressing, and often cheese or meat.

It's a staple of picnics, potlucks, and summer cookouts—easy to make ahead and serve at room temperature: She brought her famous pasta salad to the barbecue.

Variations range from Italian-style with vinaigrette to creamy mayo-based versions.

Opposites
temperature of serving

pasta saladbaked ziti

Pasta tubes with cheese, oven-browned

lasagna · spaghetti and meatballs · mac and cheese · hot pot · ramen

dish format/texture

pasta saladsoup

Cooked liquid dish

broth · consommé · bisque · smoothie · purée

formality/occasion

pasta saladbeef Wellington

Pastry-encased filet mignon

foie gras · lobster thermidor · tasting menu · haute cuisine · oysters Rockefeller

Family

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Familiarity
Top 50,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Positive · Everyday, not technical · Rated G