Summer. There’s nothing better than it — yes, even when the temperatures reach record-breaking levels. With refreshing beverages in our hands and the sunrays beating down on us, what else can we ask for? Well, a summer Bank Holiday, of course! And what better to celebrate than with a picnic or a barbecue?
The only difficulty comes with finding food that everybody likes – some eat meat, some don’t, some like spice, others don’t. However, we have the undisputed solution — pasta salads. These come in many forms and can cater to every taste or dietary requirement.
No matter which recipe you go for, though, it is important to consider which pasta shape will work bestt. According to Italian food connoisseurs at Pasta Evangelists, “there are so many different types of pasta that you could quite easily try a new one every day of the year” — so there’s definitely a lot to choose from. That’s why we’ve collected our five favourite pasta shapes for your perfect picnic salad.
Farfalle
Farfalle is a great choice for salad. The shape is flat, pinched in the middle, with ruffled ends. While it’s commonly referred to as bowtie pasta given its resemblance, its name actually translates into English as ‘butterfly’. Farfalle’s shape is ideal for salads as its ridges and folds help hold in the flavour, while the frilly edges add texture. What’s more, it looks absolutely gorgeous with a bunch of colourful vegetables!
We recommend this Mediterranean farfalle salad if you’re not sure which way to go.
Fusilli
Another no-brainer choice is the fusilli. Literally meaning ‘spindle’, the corkscrew shape is a fantastic vessel for capturing sauce. This makes creamier salads, for example, this mayonnaise-based dish, an ideal companion for fusilli. The nooks and crannies get coated in the sauce, while the short shape allows for harmony with the other ingredients.
However, if creamy sauces aren’t your favourite, fusilli still works well with olive oil-based salads.
Dischi Volanti
An unusual pasta shape, dischi volanti is round and creviced. Its name translates to ‘flying disc’ or ‘flying saucer’, which explains its intricate appearance. However, it is also known as messicani — meaning ‘Mexicans’ — presumably because of its shape resembling a sombrero.
Dischi volanti’s unique silhouette works fantastically with salads like this one, allowing smaller ingredients to be embedded in the pasta.
Ditalini
Ditalini is macaroni’s younger brother — in fact, another name for it is ‘salad macaroni’. Shaped like a short, small pipe, and meaning ‘little thimble’, ditalini is fantastic for salads in that its hole captures juice fantastically, while its tiny shape melds together with any ingredient of your choosing.
This Mexican-inspired fiesta salad is a great example of a pasta salad incorporating ditalini: different textures and sizes of ingredients that are all complemented by the nature of the little tubes.
Penne
We’ve saved the best for last. Penne is the perfect pasta shape, working with almost any sauce for any occasion. Salads are no different. More saucier pasta salad options, such as this pesto-based recipe, maximise the potential of penne as a receptacle while incorporating the toothsome nature of the pasta into the dish.
However, penne — literally meaning ‘quill’ or ‘feather’ — is such a versatile shape that any salad could benefit from it on the ingredients list.
