Creamy Dreamy Ditalini Pasta Salad Recipe

Headed to a potluck and looking for a crowd-pleasing dish? Look no further — this creamy dreamy ditalini pasta might just be the talk of the party. It all starts with small and tubular ditalini, the pasta used in pasta e fagioli, which is the perfect shape for soaking up a tangy and creamy dressing. Added to the tender pasta, you've got the crunch of diced English cucumber and red pepper, the juiciness of grape tomatoes, sharp red onions, and briny olives all cut to match the pasta size and make this a salad you can eat with a spoon.

Wellness coach and recipe developer Miriam Hahn brings us this recipe and says, "Pasta salads can be run of the mill, but the use of ditalini pasta here makes this one stand out. The combination of mayonnaise, sour cream, and Dijon mustard is the perfect dressing with the tiny pasta and crunchy vegetables." Keep reading to learn how to make your new go-to potluck recipe.

To make this recipe, start in the produce aisle and pick up grape tomatoes, English cucumber, red pepper, red onion, and Italian parsley. Then hit up the condiment aisle for mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, olive oil, black olives, and Dijon mustard.

The star of the show is ditalini pasta, so add that to your cart along with sour cream from the dairy aisle. Check your spice cabinet for garlic granules, salt, and pepper.

Bring a large pot of water to boil.

Add the pasta and cook according to package directions.

In a medium bowl combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, Dijon, olive oil, garlic granules, salt, and pepper. Set it aside.

When the pasta is done, drain it in a colander and rinse with cold water.

Pour the pasta into a bowl and add the tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, red onion, black olives, and parsley.

Toss with the dressing.

Cover and chill in the fridge for one hour.

Serve the pasta salad.

You can easily make the pasta salad 24 hours before serving and it will be just as fresh and crunchy. The only drawback you might encounter is that when pasta sits in the fridge overnight it has a tendency to soak up all of the dressing. To make up for this, you can either make some extra dressing or just add a little more mayonnaise and sour cream.

If you want to make the salad a few days in advance there are a couple of steps you can prepare ahead of time. Go ahead and cook the pasta and toss it with a little olive oil to prevent it from sticking together. Keep that in an airtight container in the fridge. You can make the dressing and keep that in the fridge as well. Since tomatoes and cucumber will taste best closest to when they are freshly cut, cut those no more than 24 hours in advance and then assemble everything right before serving. This will ensure that your creamy pasta salad is fresh and tastes great when you serve it.

A salad like this is a great starting point to experiment with adding other ingredients. For more raw vegetables try shredded or diced carrots, diced celery, or diced snap peas. For a peppery bite, throw in some diced or shaved radishes. Other colors of bell pepper will be beautiful in the salad too, and some sliced purple cabbage will add a different texture and flavor. For a touch of briny flavor, marinated and quartered artichoke hearts are a delicious option as are rinsed hearts of palm. To add a little kick, consider pepperoncini or pickled banana peppers.

If you want to make the salad more of a meal, toss in some white cannellini beans, cooked chickpeas, cubed cooked chicken, diced salami, chopped ham, or cubed turkey. Chopping everything small is essential to maintaining the pleasant texture of the salad.

Any type of cheese will work in the salad, such as crumbled feta, mozzarella pearls, or shredded Parmesan. Other fresh herbs will add freshness: Chopped cilantro, slivered basil, or chopped fresh oregano, either alone or combined, can be used.