Why is my pasta salad always flavorless?

[Anonymous]

Every time I make pasta salad it ends up tasting flavorless. I've made a bunch of recipes and they all end up the same way. I can't eat gluten, so I make it with gluten free pasta. It's a good dish to make for when I need to bring a dish somewhere because I know I will have something to eat that is filling in case there aren't other options for me (I also have other food allergies).

Do I need to use more dressing than I think I need to? Last night I made one with Wegmans Organic Zesty Italian and I thought it maybe just needed more time to sit but I had some today and it still tasted pretty flavorless. I added fresh basil and it helped a little but not much.

Any suggestions?

[Anonymous]

Do you salt the water?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you salt the water?

Yes. -OP

[Anonymous]

What do you put in it? It needs salami, olives, basil and oregano.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What do you put in it? It needs salami, olives, basil and oregano.

I usually make a greek one with peppers, onions, tomatoes, feta, kalamata olives and greek vinaigrette. The one I made last night had tomatoes, onions, black olives, red peppers and mozzarella cheese. I added fresh basil. I don't eat meat, so no meat products.

Maybe more fresh and dried herbs?

-OP

[Anonymous]

I think homemade dressings taste way better and not much work.

Good olive oil, champagne vinegar, shallots, lemon juice and some zest, salt & pepper.

[Anonymous]

I'm guessing it needs more salt, especially if you didn't use feta.

[Anonymous]

You can't put the dressing on when the pasta is warm. It just soaks it up and evaporates and then you can't taste it. Cook your pasta and then cool it before adding everything in. Then the dressing will "coat" and not just be absorbed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you salt the water?

Yes. -OP

But do you salt the water really well? I've heard pasta water should be "salty as the sea."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can't put the dressing on when the pasta is warm. It just soaks it up and evaporates and then you can't taste it. Cook your pasta and then cool it before adding everything in. Then the dressing will "coat" and not just be absorbed.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm guessing it needs more salt, especially if you didn't use feta.

Salt is not flavor - that's lame.

Try some peppadew peppers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do you put in it? It needs salami, olives, basil and oregano.

I usually make a greek one with peppers, onions, tomatoes, feta, kalamata olives and greek vinaigrette. The one I made last night had tomatoes, onions, black olives, red peppers and mozzarella cheese. I added fresh basil. I don't eat meat, so no meat products.

Maybe more fresh and dried herbs?

-OP

I'm not a fan of pasta salads, but that sounds like it should be pretty good. I'd normally say to add salt, but with feta and kalamata olives, you shouldn't need much more salt. Maybe a little more. You definitely need acidity. Add some red wine vinegar whisked together with a little olive oil and salt and pepper and pour over it about an hour before you plan to eat it. This is IN ADDITION to whatever dressing you added initially.

[Anonymous]

Because you need seasonings.

[Anonymous]

I would try home-made dressing instead of store bought. Typical shelf-stable dressings are going to have way more oil, and I think plenty of acid is the key to a good flavorful pasta salad.

[Anonymous]

More salt (use kosher), pepper, more seasoning. I'm always surprised how much it needs. And cheese helps with flavor too, parmesan or lots of feta. And GF needs more to hide the GF taste, it doesn't absorb as well.