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A great pasta salad should ideally feed a crowd and, even more ideally, use up leftover meats and veggies in the fridge.

Food Network star Giada De Laurentiis has the tricks and tips you need to make a delicious, irresistible pasta salad that’s a success every time.

Food Network host Giada De Laurentiis wears a purple blouse in this photograph.
Giada De Laurentiis | Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for NYCWFF

The chef’s pointers for great pasta salad 

In her cookbook Everyday Pasta, the chef explained how making pasta for a salad isn’t exactly the same as pasta prepared for a warm meal. She also shared a few tips for enjoying extraordinary pasta salad every time.

“Cooking pasta for a pasta salad differs in a couple of important ways from cooking pasta that is meant to be served hot,” she wrote, sharing her tried-and-true practices to keep in mind the next time you make pasta salad.

  • Flavor that water. “Be sure to salt the water in which you cook the pasta especially generously to really flavor the pasta,” the chef said of the step so many home cooks overlook.
  • Cook the pasta thoroughly, De Laurentiis added: “This is the one time  you can cook pasta a bit past al dente; the pasta should be cooked all the way through and soft (but not mushy!), as any uncooked core will be hard and taste starchy.”
  • The Simply Giada star says to run water over the pasta after it’s done cooking, a rule that’s just for cold pasta salad. “Rinse the pasta briefly after draining it to get rid of excess starch,” the chef says. Skipping this step can “make your salad sticky.”
  • Lastly, she notes that timing is everything when it comes to coating your salad with its dressing: “Don’t dress the salad until right before serving, especially if the dressing contains an acid like vinegar or citrus juice, as it will start to break down the pasta and make it mushy.”

De Laurentiis’ Orzo Salad 

On Giadzy, the culinary personality shared that her “bright and zesty orzo salad is the perfect complement to any beach BBQ or picnic.”

Orzo, she said, makes a great main ingredient in pasta salad, because “orzo pasta stands up better to dressings without becoming soggy as other shapes can, so feel free to make this ahead of time.”

The orzo pasta is cooked in chicken stock in this dish, until the pasta is “tender, but still firm to the bite.” It’s strained, then tossed to allow it to cool completely before combining with the other ingredients.

After it’s cooled, the orzo is tossed with beans, halved tomatoes, chopped onion, and torn basil and mint leaves.

With a tangy red wine vinaigrette prepared with vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper, this pasta salad is simple and satisfying.

Get the complete recipe and reviews on Food Network’s site.

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Reviewers agree De Laurentiis’ orzo salad may be the perfect pasta salad

With over 400 five-star reviews, the chef’s orzo salad is a hit on Food Network’s site, thanks to its flavorful dressing and ingredients.

“I have made this salad for my husband, parties, bar-b-ques, you name it. It always receives rave reviews. We love the pasta salad and the dressing is amazing! Thanks Giada!,” one home cook gushed.

And another person summed it up, writing, “This recipe is the bomb. That’s all you need to know. Make it! Oh, and spring for the best EVOO.”

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