All the cold pasta salads I know of (and like) have mayonnaise. How else do you glue everything together?

Many use a vinaigrette dressing. Not really sure why there's a need to "glue everything together."

I've had pasta salads with vinaigrette dressings but haven't liked them much. I need that mayonnaise glue.

most of the items we like in a green salad (grape tomatoes, cukes, black and/or green olives, green onions, etc.) and make an olive oil vinaigrette. Sorry, no recipe with amounts, tho.

We like Italian-style pasta salads

Give me a minute to track it down.

Asian inspired.

Very kind

or a version of it. I couldn't find my recipe but this one is close. I would just add sliced salami to this recipe.

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/pepperoncini-pasta-salad/

Cook it and set it aside. Slice up some black olives. Get some sliced roast beef, ham, pepperoni and salami, and cut them up into little squares. Do the same with some provolone. Mix everything together in a large bowl that you have a lid for. Mix in a bottle of your favorite Italian dressing, mix again and put it in the fridge overnight. Mix in more dressing and top with shredded Romano before serving.

I went to a catered party in Malibu and this was served. I’ve made it several times and everyone loves it. It’s also good left over.

Rotini (or seasonal colorful pasta bow ties or shapes—I.e.Halloween or Christmas shapes)

Jar of marinated sun dried tomatoes (chopped medium fine…I microwave for 30 seconds before putting them in)

Feta cheese cut in small cubes
Pine nuts (I roast first for extra flavor when I have time)
Fresh basil leaves

That’s the base recipe … I have also added or substituted artichoke hearts and/or chopped black olives

So glad you asked. I have to have a pot luck dish and this was always popular!

Du ers are so kind

... but it has mayo in it.

It also has a "dressing" that consists of scrambled raw eggs, apple cider vinegar and sugar that's mixed and carefully heated (to avoid curdling the eggs) separately. It thickens when cooled, thanks to the eggs, and adds a sweet-and-sour aspect to the salad. It's what my mother always added to her macaroni and potato salads.

I bought a large bottle of Balsamic Vinaigrette months ago, because it was almost free with a coupon, and it made a pasta salad that I hurriedly cooked quite tasty. The dressing had a bunch of herbs and seeds too, but I don't even remember the brand anymore. Figured that I'd recognize the bottle if I decided to buy it again.

I love it with tiny shrimps

sauce:

ketchup
bbq sauce splash or a little brown sugar or maple syrup
garlic
black pepper
red pepper splash
saffron pinch. ( go easy on saffron— its way strong sometimes)
apple slices or orange slices

vegetarian or not — either way.


basically, whatever you got, except olives and anchovies

Very kind

Ingredients:

8 oz. penne or fusili pasta
20 fresh pea pods - tips and strings removed
1 small cucumber diced
2 medium carrots shredded (about a cup)
1 medium yellow bell pepper cut in thin strips
3/4 cup thinly sliced radishes
1/2 cup bias cut green onions
3 Tbls. chopped fresh cilantro (or parsley if you don't care for it)
Ginger Salad Dressing (see below)
1/3 cup chopped peanuts

Dressing:

In a small jar with a lid: 1/4 cup salad oil, 3 Tbls. rice vinegar, 2 Tbls. sugar, 2 Tbls. soy sauce, 1 tsp fresh grated ginger (or you can use powdered ginger), 1 tsp chili oil (or you can use Sriracha). Shake well.

Method:

Cook pasta according to package directions. During the last 30 seconds of cooking time, add the pea pods. Drain and rinse with cold water. Combine pasta and pea pods, plus all of the other vegetables in a large bowl. Add salad dressing and toss gently. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours (I have been known to skip this part if I'm running late!)

To serve: Toss salad again and top with peanuts.

It's very tasty!

A few notes: You can purchase pre-shredded carrots at the grocery store to save time, although they're not as tasty. You can also adjust the chili oil/Sriracha amount to your taste, depending on how spicy you like it.

Let me know what you think.

Thank you. I'm making this! I'm shopping today

When my daughters did rec swimming. I asked for the recipe from the person who made it.

That recipe is very stained and well used.

We make it with gluten free pasta now because my daughters have celiac disease. Works just as well.

Very kind.

All the recipes I have use it, although some mix it with sour cream.

I'm not fond either

and let him (it's usually a him) suit himself with the array of possibilities in the fridge. Otherwise, everybody else will complain while he sits there smugly.

And we both don't like mayonnaise dressings.

Buttermilk, lemon juice, garlic, and whatever else you want to throw in with a little oil for mouth feel, buzz in a blender. It's nicer than it sounds. You could do roughly the same thing with tahini, I often used that as a salad dressing base.

Other than that, you're stuck with vinegar and oil dressings and those, while they can be good especially if freshly made, don't tend to cling to the pasta and veg as well as mayo or other thick dressings. They'll work, but you'll have to keep stirring them up from the bottom of the bowl. Using a small amount of mustard or even lecithin as an emulsifier can help, but not much.

ETA: I'm not unsympathetic, I can't stand liver in any form, my throat closes up and I can't get it down, so I offered a couple of general ideas for you. It's hard to have to eat around common foods. You might play around with the buttermilk option and find yourself besieged with requests for the recipe. I was. Too bad I never made it the same way twice)

Mr X is of Sicilian background, and tends to go for mediterranean -type dishes

without mayo because hubby hates it. You can add any veggies, cheeses or olives to the cooked pasta and toss with the dressing. I like the dressing on mixed baby greens or spinach, too.

Pickle juice used instead of vinegar makes many yummy salad dressings; I never waste it.

Dill Pickle Salad Dressing
⅔ cup canola oil
⅓ cup pickle juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chopped dill dried
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper, to taste (optional)

Great suggestion. We love pickles. Very kind

I always put sliced raw onions in the jar after we eat the pickles. After a week or so, they are great on sandwiches.

People loved it.

So many great ideas here

Use a short pasta - penne, macaroni, bow ties, orzo - then when cool mix with a dollop of pesto (I like Costco's brand). Add olives, more cheese, red onions, tomatoes to taste. It's my stand-by quick summer lunch.

Add a little apple cider vinegar to taste. Or, if you don't have it, you can use the liquid from the olive jar. So simple but you won't believe how delicious it is.

Sometimes I use small mozzarella cubes if I don't have the feta, but the feta is better. (And I don't like feta in ANYTHING else.)

It's a German-style potato salad. Just replace the potatoes with the cooked pasta of your choice (fusilli, conchiglie (shells), and farfalle (bowtie) are great choices for this.

Ingredients:
1 lb heirloom potatoes on the “waxy fleshed” side
1 bunch green onions or half a bunch if they are large
1/4 cup parsley chopped fine
2 Tbsp dill fresh; chopped fine
1 oz white vinegar high-strength picking vinegar is okay
4 tsp grainy mustard adjust to taste
1-2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Procedure:
1. Parboil and chill the potatoes in advance.
2. Dice the chilled potatoes to half-inch dice and place in the mixing bowl.
3. Slice the green onions thinly and add them to the bowl.
4. Chop the herbs finely and add to the bowl.
5. Add the vinegar, mustard, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.
6. Mix thoroughly but with care not to break up the potato cubes too much.
7. Allow to chill for an hour or two before serving so that the flavors can marry.

Sounds wonderful

Garlic Expressions. Not sure if it’s nationally available? (Ohio when I discovered it 15 years ago)
Anything I put it on, people seem to like. Now always have 2 on hand. It’d be great on any of the yummy sounding salads above.

is very easy and equally good hot, cold, or room temp. We love it.

http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/recipes-summer-disappearing-zucchini-orzo.htm

Disappearing Zucchini Orzo

¾ lb pkg orzo pasta

(multicolored is fun)

Bring 6 cups water or chicken stock to a boil and add pasta. Cook 8 to 12 minutes
1 chopped onion
garlic to taste
3 large zucchini
olive oil for sauté

Use a cheese grater or mandoline to shred zucchini, sauté briefly with chopped onion and garlic until lightly golden.
thyme
oregano
¼ cup grated parmesan or any hard
yellow cheese

Add spices to zucchini mixture, stir thoroughly, and then remove mixture from heat.

Combine with cheese and cooked orzo, salt to taste, serve cool or at room temperature.

The crucial ingredient is the sweet Italian dressing.

1 box tri-colored rotini
1 cucumber
2 or 3 peppers, mix of red, yellow, orange, green.
1 green zuchini
one or two stalks of celery.
1 jar Marzetti sweet Italian dressing. You’ll find this in the produce department in the refrigerator section. If you can’t get this dressing in your part of the country, you’re screwed. I have not been able to find any other brand of sweet Italian dressing, and regular Italian is sharp in a way I don’t want in this dish.

I've seen that brand

I can't buy it on line. No one else seems to make a sweet Italian dressing.

whole or 1/2 cherry tomatoes, black olives, capers, sweet pepper (red is pretty) garlic, basil, s&p, and zesty Italian dressing. If you you a whole box of orzo, you probably need a 16 oz bottle of zesty Itialian. The rest of the ingredients, almost a pint of tomatoes, 2/3 can of black olives, a couple tbs capers, 1/2 a large pepper chopped, garlic, basil, s& p to taste. You can pur some sweet onion rings in, if you like.

Thank you!

My daughter makes this recipe and everyone really likes it. One relative said it was so much lighter than other pasta salads.

meh

Having one (salad) tomorrow.