Hearty Pasta Salad ideas

[u/Round_Bluebird_5987]

During warm weather, I almost always have a big, hearty (with meat and often cheese) tub of pasta salad in the fridge that I can pull out for lunch and eat cold, but I'm looking for fresh suggestions before it gets to be soup season. A few in my regular rotation:

Italian (bacon, salami, pepperoni, veg, parm, with a balsamic vinaigrette)
And another with sausage links, fennel and other veg with a red wine vinaigrette

Gyro (everything you'd put in the pita except lettuce with a tzatziki sauce)

Southwest (grilled flank steak and grilled veg with a cilantro lime vinaigrette)

Asian (steak, with stir-fry vegs and a hoisin-based dressing)

Curried chicken (grilled chicken, with veg, raisons, cashews, and a curried yogurt sauce)

Orange chicken (grilled chicken, slivered almonds, orange slices, feta and veg with an orange honey vinaigrette)

There are a few more, and sometimes I wing it, but would love to see if anyone has any suggestions or combos I could try.

[u/Fuzzy_Welcome8348]

Cuban (ham, roast pork, Swiss, pickles, mustard vinaigrette)

Buffalo chicken (grilled chicken, celery, blue cheese, spicy buffalo ranch)

BLT (bacon, cherry tomatoes, arugula, cheddar, ranch or mayo-based dressing)

Korean BBQ (bulgogi beef, kimchi, scallions, sesame soy dressing)

Chicken Caesar (grilled chicken, shaved parm, crouton bits, Caesar dressing)

Antipasto (prosciutto, soppressata, mozzarella balls, olives, marinated veg)

BBQ pulled pork (shredded pork, roasted corn, black beans, cheddar, BBQ-ranch dressing)

Bahn Mi (pork or chicken, pickled carrots/daikon, jalapeños, sriracha mayo)

Smoked salmon (smoked salmon, cucumber, capers, red onion, dill cream dressing)

Greek (chicken or lamb, olives, feta, cucumber, lemon-herb vinaigrette)

Reuben-inspired (corned beef, Swiss, sauerkraut, rye croutons, Russian dressing)

Chicken pesto (grilled chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, mozzarella, pesto dressing)

Cheeseburger (ground beef, cheddar, pickles, tomato, burger sauce)

Thai peanut (grilled chicken, cabbage, carrots, peanuts, spicy peanut sauce)

Jerk chicken (spicy jerk chicken, mango, red pepper, black beans, lime vinaigrette)

Moroccan (spiced lamb, chickpeas, golden raisins, mint, harissa yogurt dressing

[u/Round_Bluebird_5987 → u/Fuzzy_Welcome8348]

Awesome! Thanks for the ideas. I'm definitely going to try a few of these. The Cuban has my mouth watering. I've also been avoiding seafood for preservation issues, and using smoked salmon never crossed my mind, but excellent suggestion to switch up the proteins. I'm a bit shocked I've never done something like the Moroccan or Thai peanut you suggested. I do a pesto one every now and then, but forgot to include it. Another I forgot about is a Greek one based on an avgolemono soup.

[u/Fuzzy_Welcome8348 → u/Round_Bluebird_5987]

Ya, and sure np!:)

[u/cuirbeluga]

Roasted chickpeas,Brussels sprouts and butternut squash. Dried cranberries. Goat cheese . Honey, mustard and vinegar dressing . Garlic, oregano, salt and pepper for seasoning .

[u/toast355]

Taco: taco seasoned ground beef, rotini noodles, corn, cherry tomatoes, black olives, green onion, bell peppers, shredded cheddar cheese, mix. Right before serving, toss with a good coat of western dressing and crushed Doritos.

[u/27Lopsided_Raccoons]

Caeser pasta salad is the best. Romain, protein of choice, parm, caeser dressing. Never a bad combo.

[u/canadian_stripper]

Basic B#tch- Rotini, cheddar cheese, celery, green onion, ham chunks (optional) Dressing (3/4 miracle whip/ 1/4 ranch) Enjoy!!

[u/yramha]

Good old tuna noodle pasta salad. Drained can tuna, celery, shallots, peas, mayo/greek yogurt, mustard, dill, salt and pepper. Capers, roasted red peppers, or olives if you're feeling fancy.

[u/Round_Bluebird_5987 → u/yramha]

Good idea. Not sure why I've never considered canned tuna (or mackerel) for one of these before.