The Absolute Best Italian Pasta Salad for Summer Picnics

Test cook Keith Dresser makes Bridget a foolproof Italian Pasta Salad.
Get the recipe for Italian Pasta Salad: cooks.io/39B9CJk
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[@cascooter]

Marinated artichoke hearts...always marinated artichoke hearts. Not only delicious, but tons of fiber. You will be pooping like a rockstar!!!

[@tosht2515]

When I was a poor college graduate I regularly made a huge pot of Italian pasta salad and munch on it for a week. Pasta, cheap sandwich salami, canned sliced black olives, parmesan in the green canister, red onion and a bottle of Italian dressing. 😂👍

[@SarahLizDoan]

Sounds delicious! That’d be about perfect!

[@roncaron8939]

I Make a huge pasta salad and for variety, i keep adding things all week, You can add well drained beans and chickpeas. hard boiled eggs. stale bread , turned into croutons! A salami substitute? Hot dogs, sliced & marinated in your dressing ! Add a can of drained tuna.

[@jaibanks7151]

@@roncaron8939 you stretched that meal. 😷

[@googievideo1]

That's sounds yummy. I kinda do that, too.

[@yeweineshetbeshahwoured7600]

@@roncaron8939 ù

[@CrazyEightyEights]

I am delighted to rediscover America Test Kitchen, always one of my favorite Sunday rituals. ❤

[@ToneB1]

Add sliced cherry tomatoes as well.

[@azhaircountess9798]

They used sun dried but you’re right, fresh would also be really good in this

[@dixonpinfold2582]

It needed something red, yellow, or orange. I'm no anatomist but I'm pretty sure the tongue and nose are connected to the eyes.

[@janetalexander3714]

No...too wet.

[@farmfreshideas579]

I made this dish the day before the event. I mixed everything as the recipe called for with half the basil into the dish and let it set overnight in the fridge and I’m glad I did as the basil soaked into this pasta, it really tasted good in the dish. The next day it was a little dry and you couldn’t taste much of the oil dressing so I whipped up another batch of dressing and added it to the pasta with the rest of the basil and a spring mix lettuce instead of the spicy arugula of which I’m not a huge fan of. It was really tasty and everyone went back for seconds. 😊 Thanks ATK for making me look like a good cook 🤣🌺

[@craftygal4494]

I add bell pepper for beautiful color and crunch, i use feta instead of the mozzarella and i add marinated artichoke hearts. Also an extra ingredient to give it a great taste is a spoonful of dill relish. You dont know its there but it adds a little extra something.

[@thedarkemissary]

I think that's a much better choice than the arugula, which doesn't add much flavor and eventually turns to soggy mush.

[@MTknitter22]

THAT sounds extremely good @Crafty Girl

[@cydkriletich6538]

That sounds delish!! My hubby likes pasta salads, but I’ve never cared for them. I’ll have to try Keith’s mixed up with yours. I’m not a fan of arugula, so the marinated artichoke hearts and the dill relish (is there really any need for sweet?! 🤔), will be a nice substitute.

[@evelynrisse246]

I just made a big pan & will go back & add dill relish...sounds delish!!!

[@homehelpheart7440]

I completely about the bell pepper! I never make a pasta salad without red orange or yellow bell peppers and usually some red onion.

[@vickituck2701]

I didn't hear a word he said but I am sure the pasta was amazing!😜

[@araucana1976]

Very difficult to concentrate in the recipe, extremely difficult.....😂

[@carolegeddes998]

Fourth time watching this. I think he said something about "Are we getting to the top of the pyramid?" I also heard: "firm but tender" somewhere. The rest? I dunno. Somehow I just didn't catch it. 😄

[@1VampieNight]

Who has been making bad pasta salad that doesn't get eaten? If I don't bring a pasta salad to the family outing I be yelled at. Lol. 😆

[@rubyanderson8800]

What's you pasta salad recipe?

[@nicholashilton2514]

Right that’s what I’m saying! I get mine requested all the time! People ask me to make a double batch so they have leftovers to take home!

[@nicholashilton2514]

@@rubyanderson8800 Hi, Ruby. I have a great recipe thats been in my family forever. I’d love to share it with you!

[@azhaircountess9798]

I know! I love pasta salad. Even if it’s mediocre pasta salad I’ll still eat it!

[@judithann7193]

I make a greek pasta salad and never bring Any home. I use the tri colored rotini and fun stuff with feta. Yum.

[@joelbuchanan471]

Hey Bridget and Keith, I just made this salad for a couple of friends. It was delicious and people wanted to take the leftovers home. The dressing was a brilliant fix to flavor the salad. Keith is a genius! Thanks so much!

[@VideosQueMeGustanenE]

Keith has no business looking so gorgeous... I had to come re-watch the recipe here on youtube because I hardly payed attention to the recipe when I watched if on tv... Keith is just too gorgeous. Anyway, great pasta salad, I will try the recipe! 😊

[@araucana1976]

I agree! I had to do the same! But I confess I had the most fun just watching Bridget hardly trying to contain herself being so close to him! It was hilarious! What a handsome man!

[@VideosQueMeGustanenE]

araucana1976 I noticed it too! Bridget is usually so chatty and quippy, but she was so quiet this segment. In all honesty, I’d be exactly the same, if I had to stand next to a gorgeous man like that.

[@araucana1976]

@@VideosQueMeGustanenE yes, 👍👍👍 He truly is devastatingly handsome! I love this show and I love those two ladies, but I think now I have a new favorite! I hope we see more of Keith!

[@1LSWilliam]

This guy is terrific! Invite him often. Total learning experience.

[@angiem1104]

And he's cute,and reminds me of Steven rachlin

[@krunktina69]

“Its climbing up your pyramid?” Lol thAtz what she said!

[@matthewfischer3312]

I have made this more times than I can count now. So good.

[@annek1226]

When I make it I use tricolor pasta to make it eye catching!

[@evalehde3869]

That is what we use at the deli.

[@jondamurray726]

I use the tricolor also.

[@shirleychisholm2137]

@@jondamurray726 9(u8

[@azhaircountess9798]

Me too

[@peggyharter8957]

I was surprised to see the chef use the juice from the peppers. I started doing that 30 years ago . Very similar to how I make pasta salad. Best take away is the micro wave of oil & spices. Thank you

[@Pompina2013]

I couldn't agree more! Technics are what I always look for when I want to innovate or study new recipes. Thank you chef!

[@danielkim7841]

Just using a little bit of juice is for sissies. You need to chug down 8 ounces of pickled pepper juice in 30 seconds or you need to go home!

[@jefferyschic]

I've been adding sweet pickles and some juice in my deviled eggs for decades. Love the kick

[@jefferyschic]

@@danielkim7841 rehydration and no night cramps!

[@Its_me--Boo_Radley]

Ohhhh, this look fabulous. I'm definitely going to make this.

[@jeanettemclaughlin4296]

Variations of pasta salad are a lunchtime staple for Summer in our home. They travel well, and all four food groups can be included.

[@jessicafaithandKinsley]

Omg this looks heavenly! I want that whole bowl right now 🥰

[@robertgore7592]

I could eat this every single day!!

[@knsf02]

the pasta or him?

[@buddy77587]

Keith Dresser! He purdy

[@rgtgtrzs4889]

What a beutiful salad! ..I can just imagine the fragrance and the flavors

[@jbl5371]

I love this recipe. It's our go-to potluck sharing dish, and it makes regular appearances on our home rotation.

[@renep5008]

Made it, and tasted it before and after adding the greens and liked it both ways. Added cherry tomatoes afterwards to leftovers. Very tasty, thanks!!

[@starcrib]

On the menu for the weekend- de-lish-us... Mr. Dresser he's terrific. 🌿👁🗣

[@sandyrosella5679]

Looks so good. Can’t wait to try it.

[@MariaMartinez-pu5hn]

Wow!! Looks beautiful, my mouth is watering 😋

[@emergnurse]

Love this Chef and I am making this now! Thank you for sharing!

[@robertawestbrooks9531]

I can almost taste this incredible salad, thanks for sharing 👍

[@conorturner853]

Literally the best pasta salad I've ever made/eaten. Perfect.

[@kathychanning1614]

Oh I have to make this! Thank you!❤

[@rubywellsdiznromas5965]

Will be trying this one for sure!

[@donnapollock]

Amazing, looks so delicious, and I love the dressing too...Great recipe here Thank you...

[@ghadoughnna5400]

Love that pasta plus tantalizing eyes of this chef 😍

[@kathywelch8722]

This pasta salad looks very good. I like how you made the dressing.

[@soniawestfall1832]

Love this recipe

[@jaibanks7151]

All i need with that beautiful pasta salad is chicken or fish on the side to complete a balanced meal. Of carb, veggies, & protein!

[@joannaforcum1530]

Planning to create for the 4th ,yummy. Thank you!

[@RBCbomber]

I finally made this this weekend. It was great and got rave reviews. Super easy will definitely make again

[@4speed3pedals]

Free trial good for one time they you have to pay to get the recipes. I make use of the pause button so I can get it written down.

[@cherriaydelotte8327]

That’s what I do as well!!! It helps it stick in my brain better that way anyway😂

[@roncaron8939]

@@cherriaydelotte8327 look for a comment from Laura Smith, one week ago She lists all the ingredient. .

[@robinvarnadoe7434]

That looks wonderful!

[@cozycoffee3831]

Looks so yummy!!! And hearty and flavorful, as he said!!! I would add a touch of grated sweet, yellow, or white onion, too!!

[@MrsBrown-yq4qt]

I made this for a bbq I was invited to. Everyone loved it and asked for leftovers and the recipe. I have been having fun with Cascatelli lately so I used that instead of Fusilli. It's a relatively new pasta so it's fun to surprise people with it as a change. Thank you for this. I will be making this recipe for years to come.

[@thatgirl626]

Love this guy as always he brings good tips for best tastes always. I’d like to sit at his table. 😊

[@Suz_408]

He can make my salad any time!

[@mvillano1627]

🤣

[@vannshuttleworth4738]

LOL! Al Dente!

[@couch_nap]

🤣🤣🤣

[@ilovegoodsax]

Don't you mean he can "toss" your salad anytime?😉🤪

[@gypsyspirit5749]

Lol🤣

[@sharonhoepker]

Made it as he did..it was a hit! Many "I don't usually like pasta salad" comments.

[@anastasiarn7781]

Gotta try this one!

[@sallyb.wiliams5869]

I did make this and it was EXCELLENT!

[@gladysclausing8785]

Pasta salad is always at the top of our pyramid. Will be trying this one!

[@DeniseBrown-voteblue]

I am definitely making this ! My mouth is watering as I watch the video ! So yummy !

[@tarkyaw8740]

It’s really look great

[@roselafosse4785]

That is one scrumptious salad! Thanks America's Test Kitchen. As always, you're the best!

[@angiem1104]

Amazing recipe for dressing

[@boogiebabe67]

I made this pasta salad last night. After tasting it, I decided to chill it in the fridge overnight to let the flavors develop. I have not yet added the arugula or fresh basil. Letting it "age" overnight improved the flavors. However, the texture is too one-note for me. I haven't decided yet, but I'm thinking of adding chopped celery or chopped cucumber (which will first be peeled and seeded). Great flavor, but I feel it needs more texture. JMO

[@cozycoffee3831]

As is, I was thinking a touch of grated sweet onion would add that twist. But further, I can see chopped flat leaf parsley in there, too, even Feta cheese. Food is so fun to test out with different ideas!

[@jefferyschic]

I add chopped italian meats, pepperoni, salami, pesto ham...yums

[@danieldumas7361]

People first eat with their Eyes! You have Black from the olives; now add a Sweet/White diced onion for contrast. Then bring in some bright Yellows & Reds with slivers of fresh sweet peppers. Instant Rainbow. PS: At this point you might make more dressing. (and, as a frenchman, Dijon never hurt)

[@amelie2626]

That looks soooo good!

[@dawnywarner2302]

This is an absolutely delicious recipe! Love the dressing!

[@InAHandBasket]

I found it too dry if following the recipe. Needing more dressing.

[@birnsbirns]

Absolutely wonderful salad. No changes other than adding little more of the some of the same ingredients.

[@fotyfar]

Very talented young man, great tips👍👍

[@lpetitoiseau9146]

Perfect description of the picnic pyramid. 🎶Brilliant. 🎶

[@cindyo6298]

Omg! Warming the dressing is genius

[@jeffcastaneda7010]

We cooked this dish as a main for dinner last night. It was excellent. We had to double up the ingredients because we saw the servings in the video were very small, even for a side dish. It was an excellent dish. Yum!

[@lisafeyt3694]

Looking forward to trying this pasta salad. I've been on a pasta salad kick lately and I want to find the perfect pasta salad. This might just be a winner!!!

[@jenniferbarnes1053]

I will certainly try this. I usually start with the veggies cork screw pasta. Lol. Thanks for sharing love your channel

[@rosemarydouglass3744]

made it yesterday for 4th july party omg rave reviews absolutely the very best

[@asgharnowrouz3853]

You are a true dresser Keith. This pasta is beautiful.

[@SteveSmith-hm8ny]

If you own an immersion blender you can skip the two step food processor process and just put everything in a jar and blend.

[@cherriaydelotte8327]

Thanks for that tip😉

[@The_Timinator]

yes and easier to clean too

[@michelleread247]

In process of making this RN and will use my immersion blender, less mess!

[@deisyperez6611]

Looks so delicious 😋

[@CatherinesGrace]

Yum! I’m gonna whir the anchovies in with the pepperoni and capers. Can’t wait!

[@katebattista7400]

Wait. People don't like pasta salad?

[@mygirldarby]

There's a lot of things Bridget doesn't like, I've noticed.

[@hlinfl9513]

I know, right? I love them!... Especially when there's a yummy goody in every bite! :)

[@howward4071]

I always thought they were tasty. Some better than others. They're like chocolate. Never met any I didn't like.

[@pagerus]

I know right? I love pasta salad so much and everyone I know loves pasta salad. There is never any left over even making it the easy way with Italian dressing. Maybe she doesn’t like it but we all do.

[@SarahLizDoan]

I love it! I think if you ate a copriois amount of it as a kid or college student you may be tired out by now.

[@juanitaduering9976]

I cant wait yo make this for my fsmily & friends. Than you

[@micheleclifford7632]

I made this pasta dish for a side dish for book club. Although I really enjoyed it, it was expensive to make. I did like the idea that it used a lot of “pantry” ingredients. However, it is probably not a pasta salad that I would file in my permanent rotation of pasta salads. It makes perfect sense for sure to keep this for remote locations where you cannot use fresh ingredients. While I did use the basil and the arugula, you could do a basil paste and hopefully source the arugula, if you were, say, cooking from a camper, cottage, or while sailing the Caribbean. I did double this recipe and $$$$$. Bon appetit! Keep the recipes coming, as I love ATK recipes!!

[@csandford6011]

The pasta salad and the chef looked as nice as the salad LOL

[@hollym5873]

Looks really tasty. Thanks

[@catmip]

And the pasta salad looks good too.

[@tsav6952]

I love pasta salad no leftovers around here. This is great looking recipe though.

[@actinius3]

this made my mouth water

[@paulmarshall2063]

I took two pasta salads to a picnic today. One was this recipe and it was everyone's favourite. BUT ......i don't know anyone who doesn't eat pasta salad! lol

[@gailaltschwager7377]

Thank you!

[@tracygarner5912]

What? I love pasta salad so much especially the macaroni one. omg I eat so much of it when I find it at a picnic.

[@MG-ot2yr]

I make a similar pasta salad but I don't do an elaborate dressing I just use olive oil, salt and pepper. Then mixing in sun dried tomatoes and sometimes also fresh tomatoes, pepperoncini and also peppadew peppers which are gloriously sweet and spicy, sliced olives a mixture of green, black and black cured olives, salami and either provolone or feta or a mixture of both, I shred the provolone because it sticks to the velcro pasta better than dicing it, or feta crumbles stick well too, then lots of shredded fresh basil. The pasta salad has a lot of flavor and always gets devoured, its a picnic favorite.

[@calbear1313]

Adding the greens and herbs last led me to this question: How does it travel? For best taste when the picnic is a few hours away should one chop basil and add greens and mix at the event? I also read a few people legit meld overnight sans the greens/herbs. That sounded smart. Any suggestion. Looks wonderful. Thank you

[@shiangjeoushyu8586]

I will make this dish for this sunday bruncn --- thanks!

[@danielpreilly77]

going to have to give this a shot

[@judygravelle3570]

Hello. Love this channel. Been getting recipes along time now. Love the pasta it really make since I will definately try I will add the green onion and red cherry tomatoes too!!😊

[@misssherryw.7017]

I'm thinking artichoke hearts, red onion and cherry tomatoes..skip the anchovies

[@foggybottomz]

Smart to bloom the spices by microwaving them!

[@Lakelandcowboy69]

This Chef is such a good looking guy...woof. Awesome video. I am going to try this next week for a cookout.. thank you .

[@christophermartin972]

I’ve been eating pepperoncini stems since I was a toddler, with great success too!!!

[@jodrew1845]

Great recipe, another reason for me to eat arugula, yum😋

[@anniedaynoww]

I used this recipe to make a Hominy salad! I substituted hominy for the fusili and I skipped the arugula and olives. It came out fantastic!!

[@brucelee5576]

I made this recipe with sweet Chinese Sausage instead and a whole lot more olive oil , the taste was so unique I have nothing to compare it with.

[@DeArmesClara]

adding the baby arugula is perfect. this is just the recipe I have been looking for. Thank you.

[@jeanineskitchen2607]

that guy makes great stuff!!!

[@avagrego3195]

looks good

[@maryvanhouten6712]

Love pasta salad

[@blackkatt9017]

He is a HANDSOME man😍😍...pasta salad looks great also

[@sandrasandoval8111]

Can't wait to make this 👍

[@willbrown6615]

thank you! ❤

[@gleichg]

i love pasta salad

[@paitoonkhemapanon9692]

Thanks awesome

[@sacadosify]

We make a similar salad, but with cilantro, red bell pepper and feta instead of basil, sun-dried tomato and mozzarella. We also use red wine vinegar. Always tasty.

[@birnsbirns]

Then your salad is not the same.

[@seredipity1]

You can always count on a yummy hello! Great job girls

[@gregorkrause]

this noodle salad with the pepperoncini is looking delicious.