Pasta salad as a main dish?

[Excelsior! Academy]

Dh says no. My mom says no. I am out to prove 'em wrong. What says the hive?

[toawh]

I do it all the time. One of dh favorite dishes. I make it heavy though with breaded chicken tenders slices, aparagus, shaves of parmesan, etc.. It definitely stands as a main dish.

[Lizzie in Ma]

I do it all the time in the summer. I throw in chicken, shrimp, leftover steak, whatever. Tomatoes, cukes, artichoke hearts, avacado, onions on the side so they don't overpower it, peas of any kind, sweet peppers, depends on what's in the fridge, the garden and my mood. Almost always serve with Ken's Italian dressing, family favorite.

Love quinoa salad too.

[Ellie]

Of course. Add lots of protein (usually chicken in a pasta salad, maybe some cubed cheese), black olives, veggies like zucchini or broccoli, fresh basil, some tasty bread warm from the oven (and some olive oil to dip it in), and you've got a meal.

[momtoamiracle]

in the summer we love it.

[Excelsior! Academy]

Thank you. What sides do you serve?

[Momof3littles]

Sure, especially when paired with additional protein (sliced deli meat, salami, or grilled chicken) in the salad.

[Chocolate Rose]

Definitely a main dish. In fact, one of the possible birthday dinner requests my dd has is her favorite pasta salad.

[texasmama]

Absolutely. as long as it has some type of meat/eggs in it.

[bpskowski]

All the time. Depending on the main salad I'll do other simpler salads, like a tomato salad (if there are none in main), a cucumber salad, a bean salad or a strawberry and spinach salad, a fruit salad and there is always corn on the cob. The possibilities are endless!

[AlmiraGulch]

One of my favorite main dish meals, especially in warmer weather.

[DianeW88]

Absolutely!!! All the time in the summer. Serve it with fresh fruit and a crusty roll or a muffin. We eat like this almost every night when it's warm...your body doesn't need all the heavy food you eat in winter. Unless you want to end up heavy. LOL

[Tammyla]

Yummy! One of my favorite summer veg meals. I serve it with fresh baked or cheesy-garlic bread. Dh loves it along side a bbq meat of his choice.

[duckens]

Pasta Salad is an easy summer meal for us, and the kids eat it well. Pepperoni and cubes of cheese go into one of our favorites. Another has pineapple.

 

Fresh fruit on the side goes well.

 

This is a nice light option that can be made ahead of time. Just cut up the ingredients (chicken, cherry tomatoes, celery, etc), and don't mix it until minutes before serving. Also, you don't have to heat up the house for cooking at the end of the day!

[LucyStoner]

When we have pasta salad as a meal, I pair it with a huge mixed greens and veggie salad. If we are eating pasta, we are unlikely to also want to eat bread on top of it. I love cold meals in the summer.

[Annie]

Yum! Now I want pasta salad!

[Jean in Newcastle]

It would kill me and my husband now because of blood sugar concerns. But back in the day, yes, we did that.

[lynn]

Yes. It's a staple for dinners here throughout the hot summer months.

[lynn]

Yes. It's a staple for dinners here throughout the hot summer months.

[Mom in High Heels]

Heck yeah! I love pasta salad. I usually add tiny shrimp and loads of veggies. As a side, I just do crudite and maybe French bread. Man, now I want pasta salad.

[J-rap]

Of course! Add protein and veggies to it and it's a complete meal. :)

[Laurie4b]

Absolutely with chicken, shrimp, or tuna added. Yum! No need for a side if you put enough veges in it, but you can serve it with a green salad.

[aggieamy]

I haven't before but after reading all these great ideas I am now. Sounds like it would be the perfect thing for lunch on a camping trip!

[gardenmom5]

I say yea. A hearty pasta salad can make a great entree. what do they think spaghetti is? it's pasta with tomato sauce and meat. (it's just hot.)

[Cafdog]

We do it all of the time. I add chopped sundried tomatoes in oil, garbanzo beans, diced mozzerella, kalamata olives, and diced salami. It's a meal!

[PrairieSong]

Yes!!! Pasta salad makes a great meal and is so versatile.

[Ellie]

Thank you. What sides do you serve?

 

 

Uh...none, other than hot yummy bread, garlic or not. I consider it a light summer main dish, and with all its ingredients, it doesn't need "sides."

[zoobie]

One of our faves has pasta, chicken, bacon, tomatoes, thinly sliced spinach... You can add avocado chunks too. There's one with cheese tortellini, salami/pepperoni, tomatoes, spinach... Greek with shrimp or chicken, feta, tomatoes, cukes, olives.

 

No sides usually. Maybe fruit, but that's usually "dessert" in summer.

 

Now I want pasta salad! :)

[Excelsior! Academy]

I love this board! Thank you for all of the ideas. Off to make pasta salad!

[Kelly1730]

I love pasta salad in the spring/summer! Easy dinner to make up ahead in the day and any leftovers will be my lunch for the next day. Win, Win:)

[AMJ]

I'm not fond of the traditional pasta salad (and wouldn't consider it more than a side), but I've had lots of cold pasta dishes that were full meals in themselves and quite tasty. In the overall scheme of things they probably qualify as "pasta salad".

 

ANYTHING can be breakfast, lunch, dinner, main course, side, dessert, what have you -- it all depends upon how you look at it. If you have some family getting hung up on the name call it something else, and point out the ingredients that take it past side-dish status.

 

There's a book I really like, The Geometry of Pasta, by Caz Hildebrand & Jacob Kenedy. Ever wonder what sedanini was, or how to cook that odd noodle you found that looks like a cross between a pagoda and a trilobite? They are in there, with recipes. It's a very fun read, and will likely give you some good ideas for not-a-pasta-salad meals to serve on a hot summer day. Or even not-spaghetti-again for a cold winter day!

[alef]

We do pasta salad as a main dish.

[LibraryLover]

A side to a pasta salad dish could be roasted or grilled summer squashes, tomatoes, eggplant. If the pasta salad itself does not have cheese, you could do caprese. I've also paired a simple green salad with pasta. Fruit is also nice.

[pink&bluemommy]

This is amazing pasta salad:

 

Cashew chicken pasta salad

 

 

12 oz Small salad macaroni (d'italini), cooked according to package

3 Chicken breasts, cooked and cut up

2 cups red grapes, halved

2/3 cup Chopped green onions

2 cup apples

1 cup Mayonnaise, I use low fat!

1/2 cup Coleslaw Dressing

1/4 cup Milk

1 cup Cashews

Salt & Pepper to taste

 

Wisk together the mayo, dressing, and milk. Combine everything except cashews and then stir in the dressing mixture. Chill.

Add cashews right before serving. We add the cashews to our individual servings mostly, they get soggy after a day or two (ew!).

 

[Excelsior! Academy]

Dh was gone tonight so I tried it out on the kids. The girls loved it! The boys liked it. We did tri-color corkscrew pasta, ham, cheese, onion, bell pepper, Basmati olives, cherry tomatoes, and Italian dressing. Brownies for dessert. Can't wait until dh comes home to see what he thinks.

 

 

ETA: KALAMATA olives. NOT Basmati.

[Amy in NH]

Italian style pasta salad

 

 

7 oz corkscrew macaroni

1 ½ C cubed mozzarella (6 oz)

6 oz cubed salami

1 C cauliflower florets, sliced

1 small zucchini sliced

½ C chopped red pepper

1 small onion, diced

½ C sliced olives

¼ C grated parmesan

 

2 tomatoes

 

Dressing:

¼ C snipped parsley

½ C olive oil

¼ C wine vinegar

2 cloves minced garlic

2 tsp crushed basil

1 tsp crushed oregano

½ tsp pepper

 

Shake dressing well, pour over salad and toss.

Cut 2 medium tomatoes into wedges and add before serving.

[QueenCat]

I say "yes" if there is some kind of protein in it. Chicken or shrimp or something like that..... and some cheese!

[AMJ]

 

What do you consider a traditional pasta salad? Just curious!

 

 

That would be the old staple served in community gatherings and school lunch cafeterias for decades: overcooked macaroni, a dressing based upon mayo (usually watery from not letting the cooked pasta drain enough after rinsing to cool it), a few veggies and sugar. Why would they put sugar in it?

 

Even when "properly" made it was just noodles, mayo, a few (not enough) veggies, and sugar/seasonings. I like a little more in my main dishes, and the term "cold pasta" seems to be more socially or culinarily acceptable (in community gathering circles) when branching out on the theme.

[AMJ]

 

That would be the old staple served in community gatherings and school lunch cafeterias for decades: overcooked macaroni, a dressing based upon mayo (usually watery from not letting the cooked pasta drain enough after rinsing to cool it), a few veggies and sugar. Why would they put sugar in it?

 

Even when "properly" made it was just noodles, mayo, a few (not enough) veggies, and sugar/seasonings. I like a little more in my main dishes, and the term "cold pasta" seems to be more socially or culinarily acceptable (in community gathering circles) when branching out on the theme.

 

 

 

And Velveeta (*shudder*) -- I forgot the school lunch ladies liked to add Velveeta to it.

[AMJ]

Dh was gone tonight so I tried it out on the kids. The girls loved it! The boys liked it. We did tri-color corkscrew pasta, ham, cheese, onion, bell pepper, Basmati olives, cherry tomatoes, and Italian dressing. Brownies for dessert. Can't wait until dh comes home to see what he thinks.

 

 

Now that's winging a good cold pasta! I've heard of Basmati rice, but not Basmati olives. Where did you get them?

[Laura Corin]

Yes, but I don't usually use mayonnaise. Whole grain pasta, veggies, some kind of protein, a dressing of olive oil and fresh lemon juice. That's a full meal.

 

Laura

[Chris in VA]

Frequent summer meal, here--

 

Tricolored pasta corkscrew-type (rotini?)

chunks of mozzarella

grape tomatoes

sliced black olives

sliced mushrooms (I leave these out 'cause leftovers get slimy, so dh just adds to his)

green pepper

cukes

 

We pour Italian dressing on it and let it sit room temp for a little bit. If you make the pasta and dress just that right away, the warm noodles absorb more of the flavor. Sometimes I put parm on the top, and I salt and pepper it.

 

No sides.

 

I served it as a main dish to my very-Southern niece and nephew and their stepmom later told me they were appalled at having it for a main dish! lol...

[Parrothead]

Around here the protein is in the form of black beans.

 

 

What is a basmati olive?

[Ellie]

Around here the protein is in the form of black beans.

:blink:

 

 

What is a basmati olive?

 

 

Yes, what is that? My internet search didn't turn up anything--kalamata olives, yes; basmati olives, no.

[Excelsior! Academy]

 

:blink:

 

 

 

 

Yes, what is that? My internet search didn't turn up anything--kalamata olives, yes; basmati olives, no.

 

Um...yeah...that is what I meant. *embarrassed*

 

 

That is what I get for typing from memory in a post carb haze. :)

[walkermamaof4]

Yes, this one:

 

Joy's Pasta Salad

 

Serves 12

• 8 oz ziti or rotini cooked
  
• 1 can garbanzo beans rinsed
  
• 1 can three-bean salad
  
• 1/2 green pepper chopped
  
• 1/2 yellow pepper chopped
  
• 1/2 onion chopped
  
• 1 clove garlic minced
  
• 1 c mozzarella
  
• 1 tomato chopped
  
• 1/2 t salt
  
• 1/4 t pepper
  
• 1/8 t basil
  
• 1/4 c mayonnaise
  
• 1/2 c italian dressing
  
• 1/4 c parmesan cheese grated
  

[mandymom]

We add grilled chicken, baby spinach, and tomatoes and call it a meal.

[mom2hunangirls]

Here's my favorite that is pretty shameful, but it is great for a crowd:

Ranch Chicken Pasta Salad

1 bottle of favorite ranch dressing

Corkscrew noodles

Chicken (I use canned :0 )

Cucumbers

Cherry tomatoes

Red onion

 

Combine. :)

 

Love this salad!!! Kids really REALLY love it.

[Photo Ninja]

We do it all summer long. It is filling, but light, and doesn't heat up the kitchen.

 

Our favorite:

 

tri-color corkscrew pasta

olives (either black or kalamata)

carrots - lightly steamed, but still crunchy

broccoli - lightly steamed, but still firm

marinated artichoke hearts

cooked chicken or shrimp

Dressing: Mix the marinade from the artichoke hearts with some mayo until the right consistency for a dressing, then add some curry to taste.

 

Other options:

 

Mix pasta, carrots, broccoli, olives, chunks of salami, pepperoni, fresh mozzarella cheese cubes or balls, grape tomatoes, and Italian dressing

Mix pasta with Greek Feta dressing, olives, veggies, chicken or ham, feta cheese, grape tomatoes

 

We also like it with orzo pasta, kalamata olives, chicken, carrots, broccoli, feta cheese, dried tomatoes, Greek Feta dressing or creamy garlic/EVOO dressing.

 

There are so many ways to make a pasta salad be a main course. Often it is all we eat for lunch or dinner, or sometimes I add a fruit salad.

[TravelingChris]

You all have made me hungry for pasta salad. Whenever I will make it, it won't have mayo or lemon juice but EVOO and vinegar but the addition suggestions are great.