Cook's Illustrated's Italian Pasta Salad Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Author Notes

The secret to getting the perfect texture in this Italian pasta salad is to overcook the noodles to well beyond the al dente (or “to the tooth”) we've long been taught to strive for. Through a process called retrogradation, the pasta naturally chills to tender and still-springy, not dry or stiff. A thick Italian dressing (thanks to blending pickled ingredients like pepperoncini and capers with quick garlic oil infused in the microwave) coats the noodles and stays punchy even when making the pasta salad ahead. You'll want to stir the arugula and basil in at the last minute, but even those can be washed, dried, and chopped ahead of time, then stored airtight with a damp paper towel to keep them perky. This recipe serves a crowd, but if you have leftovers, they are excellent crisped up in a nonstick skillet, or used as the base for a pasta frittata, or just eaten cold straight out of the fridge—no stiff noodles in sight. This genius trick also makes for a handy fix for overcooked noodles: If you accidentally find yourself with gluey, gummy, not-at-all al dente pasta, you can save it by rinsing with cold water and then serving it cold with a very good dressing—ideal for picnics, potlucks, and desk lunches alike. Recipe adapted very slightly from Cooks Illustrated and Associate Editor Anne Petito (September 2018). —Genius Recipes

What You'll Need

Ingredients

• 1 poundfusilli
  
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  
• ¹/₄ cupextra-virgin olive oil
  
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
  
• 3 anchovy fillets, rinsed, patted dry, and minced
  
• ¹/₄ teaspoonred pepper flakes
  
• 1 cuppepperoncini, stemmed, plus 2 tablespoons brine
  
• 2 tablespoonscapers, rinsed
  
• 2 ounces(2 cups) baby arugula
  
• 1 cupchopped fresh basil
  
• ¹/₂ cupoil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, sliced thin
  
• ¹/₂ cuppitted kalamata olives, quartered
  
• 8 ouncessalami, cut into ⅜-inch dice
  
• 8 ouncesfresh mozzarella cheese, cut into ⅜-inch dice and patted dry