Serving a Pasta Salad Bar is a cool and easy way to serve a meal that everyone likes. Provide cooked pasta and toppings so each can make his own pasta salad.
Do you serve dinner family style? Individually plated? Or buffet-style?
Each has its benefits, but I find buffet style to work the best for us. Everyone can choose what he likes and leave what he doesn’t. Within reason, of course.
But, after teaching six kids to feed themselves, I’ve learned that some things just can’t be forced. And so buffet style it is!
The buffet dinner opens a world of possibilities in terms of foods and flavor profiles: Consider all the different dinner bars you could serve: pasta, taco, burrito, burgers, baked potato, rice bowl, even a sandwich bar!
One new one that I’m particularly fond of?
The DIY Pasta Salad Bar
For nights when I really don’t want to cook, I lean on the Pasta Salad Bar. Not only is it easy to serve, but it’s also very DIY so everyone gets what he wants.
What is a pasta salad?
A pasta salad is a dish made of cooked and cooled pasta, tossed with a sauce or dressing and studded with vegetables, cheeses, meats, and beans. There are so many different ways to prepare pasta salad that serving the elements on a buffet makes a lot of sense.
Since you don’t need a lot of any one ingredient — aside from pasta, of course — you can use up the little bits of leftovers you might have from previous meals.
Here’s how you, too, can feed the people easily while keeping your cool.
1. Cook up a big pot of pasta.
It’s best to choose something small, like rigatoni or penne. Rinse and drain and set aside.
Bonus: you don’t need to keep anything hot.
2. Mix up a big jar of dressing or sauce.
Making your own vinaigrette is super easy. Just assemble vinegar and spices and herbs in a jar. Cap and shake. Add olive oil. Cap and shake again.
You can also use a sauce, such as pesto, to add flavor to your salad.
3. Lay out the salad toppings or mix-ins.
The point of the pasta salad bar is to let diners choose what they want in their pasta salad. Lay out a variety of toppings for them to choose. I usually make these low fuss. Choose from these options or dream up your own.
- shredded or crumbled cheese
- cooked, chopped chicken or turkey
- sliced salami
- olives
- artichoke hearts
- asparagus
- assorted grilled vegetables
- corn and peas
- diced peppers
- shredded carrot
- sliced or chopped onion
- chopped fresh spinach
- diced tomatoes
- garbanzo beans or other favorite bean
- fresh, chopped herbs
- chopped zucchini or even zoodles
4. Pull out a medium mixing bowl (or two).
Now the point of the pasta salad bar is that each person can mix his own personal pasta salad. We like doing the mixing in a bowl larger than a dinner plate.
A bowl makes it easier to mix up all the ingredients without flinging them across the counter. However it’s important not to use too big of a bowl. Your people might end up mixing more than they can eat.
If that happens, just have them put their leftovers in a food storage container, and you’ve got a perfect lunch for school or work.
Speaking of which, setting up a pasta salad bar like this is a great way to get a few days of lunches packed. You can make each day’s salad different from the others, and each person can have exactly what he wants.
Whether lunch is served at home or away, it will be all ready to go and super delicious.
What’s YOUR favorite mix-in?
This post was originally published on August 20, 2015. It has been updated for content and clarity.
Lee
So good when everyone has different dietary requirements. My daughter eats a lot of vegetarian meals. My husband can’t have beans and I need low carb. This can work for everyone.
Carol
Yikes. That was meant to be: my pickiest eater.
Jessica Fisher
Yay for picky eaters being complimentary!
Carol
Served this tonight and my luckiest water was complimentary. Great idea. Thank you.
Alice E
What a lovely reminder! I also like to make pasta salad with salmon or ham for the meat and usually add either chopped pickles or relish. Chives also make a nice addition to pasta salad, I think. I sometimes add cooked chopped broccoli or add frozen broccoli to the pasta while cooking. I will also admit to adding onion powder when I don’t want to take the time to chop regular or green onions.
I usually do a creamy dressing with mayo, sour cream, etc. a bit like ranch, but without all the herbs. With just two of us I just make a basic pasta salad and add the extras my husband isn’t fond of when I’m having the leftovers for lunches. Since creamy dressings tend to be absorbed by the pasta, I add a splash of vinaigrette the day I eat the leftovers. Admittedly I use the creamy dressing very sparingly when the salad has it’s original debut.
Jessica Fisher
Sounds delicious!
Leah
We like to do a variation of this but hot. Warm noodles in one bowl and a variety of other toppings in the others – sauteed mushrooms, onions, peppers, olives, bits of meat or meatballs, diced tomatoes, parm and other cheeses, etc. I also have a bowl of warm red sauce. My kids love the options and it’s a great way to use up leftovers in a way that doesn’t feel like I’m just cleaning out the fridge.
LeesaB
Here’s another “duh!” moment for me. Thanks for telling us about the fantastic ideas that should be obvious, but apparently aren’t. Love this idea!
Jessica Fisher
My pleasure. I love to consider myself brilliant for 15 minutes. 🙂
coleen
Good Friday afternoon! I’m missing your posts “Grocery Geek”, I love seeing what all you’ve bought. Are you just taking a break from it for the summer?
Jessica Fisher
Thanks, Coleen! I have had a hard summer, and was just diagnosed with hyperthyroidism with autoimmune processes. So, now we know why the summer was hard! haha! I hope to bring it back in September if I feel better. Thanks for asking!
coleen
Ahhhh, I hope you start to feel better soon…..
Jessica Fisher
Thanks!
Joshua Hampton
I love the idea of pasta salad bars. They’re a fun way of having dinner with the family, and I love the cozy informality it brings when you have friends over for dinner.
Jessica Fisher
Certainly informal, but effective so folks get what they really want.
Stephanie M.
What a nice way to serve your family a dinner salad. I’m sure everyone has fun picking out what they want for their own salad. Since it’s only my husband and I, it’s easier to just make a big bowl of pasta salad. But if I had my whole gang over for dinner, I would definitely do this. As far as my favorite thing to go in pasta salad, I like everything, tomatoes, onions, peppers, olives, cuccumbers, cheese, and every single thing on your recipe ingredients list. It’s hard to narrow it down.
Jessica Fisher
Well, that’s because Paul will eat whatever you tell him! I’m tired of people leaving stuff on their plates, quite honestly. 😉