Tri-Pasta Salad with Herbed Vinaigrette

Three pasta shapes make this pasta salad more visually interesting than the usual single-shape bowl, and the mixed shapes catch the dressing in different ways. Ridged rotini traps vinaigrette in its spirals, bow-tie farfalle holds pools of liquid in its pinched middle, and smooth ziti lets the sauce slide down its hollow tube.

The dressing is unusually lean. Red wine vinegar cut with water, mustard, garlic, and a small arsenal of fresh herbs (basil, chives, oregano, thyme). No oil at all, which keeps the calories low and lets the herbs shine in a way oil-heavy dressings mute. A scatter of capers and pimento-stuffed olives brings the salty, briny notes that an oil-free vinaigrette would otherwise lack.

Kitchen Tips

• Cook the three pastas separately. They have different cook times, and throwing them all in one pot guarantees one of the three ends up mushy or underdone.
• Rinse the drained pasta under cold water thoroughly. This stops the cooking and washes off surface starch that would otherwise make the salad gummy.
• Chill for at least two hours before serving. Pasta salad without a rest tastes flat; the rest lets the pasta absorb the vinegar and the flavors bloom.
• Shake the dressing again and toss once more right before serving. The vinegar separates on the bottom as the salad sits and needs re-emulsifying.

Variations

• Add cubed mozzarella and quartered cherry tomatoes for a more substantial Italian-deli version.
• Swap the red wine vinegar for balsamic for a sweeter, deeper dressing.
• Toss in a handful of diced salami or pepperoni for meaty bite.