Saturday, September 2, 2023

A Potluck Perfect Pasta Salad + 10 More Recipes to Make for the Long Weekend

This has been the summer of discovery for my children and their palates: pretzel rolls, kani salad (from a local sushi restaurant), and muesli (my favorite, but historically not theirs).

Their latest love is classic, deli-style pasta salad, something we picked up on a whim a few weeks ago at a favorite deli in Chestertown en route home from the Adirondacks. It was as classic as they come, a mix of rotini, olives, cubed cheese, sliced meat, and chickpeas, and their enthusiasm for it both shocked and inspired me.

You've never liked olives, I thought. But also: Hooray! Perhaps this can be your school lunch (until you get bored with it anyway.)

Upon returning home, I had to recreate it. Much to the disappointment of the children, I did not use tri-color rotini, but despite this oversight, they approved of the rendition, which featured the expected pantry players — cubed meat and cheese, sliced olives and pepperoncini — as well as some fresh elements: diced bell peppers and scallions. I left out the chickpeas, and nobody complained.

As is the case with so many of these sorts of salads, this one is easily customizable to tastes and preferences: leave out the olives, add sun-dried tomatoes; leave out the raw bell pepper, add roasted red peppers; omit the meat and cheese, add chickpeas. The possibilities are endless.

In addition to school lunch, this salad would be great for many a lunch as it holds up well in the fridge, and tastes even better as it sits. And should you be searching for something to make for a long weekend get-together, look no further. This one's just about potluck perfect.

Deli-Style Pasta Salad