The Counterintuitive Step That'll Make Your Pasta Salad Irresistible

Pasta salad gets a bad rap for tasting bland and flavorless, often sitting undisturbed at the buffet when presented among other pasta options. Not to be confused with a macaroni salad, pasta salads bring together oils, spices, meats, and vegetables – three of the five main food groups. One of the biggest pitfalls when making pasta salad is the pasta itself, which can turn out dry and under-seasoned. Corkscrew-shaped pasta, rotini, and fusilli are arguably the best shapes for pasta salad because their grooves hold onto dressing and other ingredients. However, even with the best pasta in the store, this dish can still feel underwhelming. If you're looking to make a pasta salad that puts all others to shame, you have to overcook the pasta.

Any Italian worth their salt will tell you that pasta should be cooked al dente, which directly translates as "to the tooth." This means that the noodles are cooked completely through but still retain a firmness on the outside. Most of the time, this means slightly undercooking the pasta and ignoring the recommended cooking time. However, with this hack, you'll want to break the pasta rules in the opposite direction. Instead of whipping your noodles out of the pan, let them sit in the boiling water for an additional five to seven minutes. It may seem counterintuitive, and go against every pasta lesson you've ever seen, but when it comes to constructing an irresistible pasta salad, overdone noodles make for the best texture.

When pasta boils, it undergoes a process known as retrogradation. During retrogradation, the microscopic starch granules in the pasta begin to swell, expanding the pasta's molecules and allowing water to be absorbed. Once the pasta is strained, those molecules cool, and the once-expanded starch granules shrink back to their chainlike, original state. The water inside the molecules becomes trapped, which is why al dente pasta feels firm because the starch is tightly compressed. In a regular pasta dish, like fettuccine alfredo or penne alla vodka, firmer (or al dente) noodles are perfectly fine and even preferable since the dish is served hot, but when it comes to a pasta salad, those firmer noodles dry out and don't absorb flavor.

Overcooked pasta noodles will look much different from al dente noodles, appearing bloated and chunky, since they absorb more water. In pasta salad, these swollen corkscrews will add a delightful bouncy texture and be the perfect conduits for absorbing other flavors. After running the pasta under cold water to help it cool down, you can mix it up with any combination of oils and toppings you prefer. You won't even have to worry about the pasta turning rigid and flavorless once it cools. The result? A pasta salad that is irresistibly tender, flavorful, and satisfying with every bite.