Bistro Pasta Salad

I have a theory, tell me if you agree – food tastes better the better the circumstances are under which it’s eaten. That’s a mouthful, and I’m pretty sure it’s grammatically correct, but let me explain – say you’ve got a slice of pizza. Would this slice of pizza taste the same after, say, a long day of sitting around doing nothing or after a hard, sweaty workout? Or say you’ve got a delicious bottle of wine. Would this bottle of wine taste better if you drank it by yourself at your kitchen counter or if a white-gloved waiter served it to you at a beautiful restaurant while gazing across the table at the one you love? I argue that food actually tastes better depending on the vibe under which you’re consuming it. Perfect example is this Bistro Pasta Salad.

When I had The Prince, our neighbors got together and created a meal train for the first week after we brought him home from the hospital. I really didn’t know our neighbors very well so this came as a huge and heartwarming surprise. Every evening, a new neighbor who I barely knew, but who was so incredibly kind, would bring a homemade meal. I was young and had never experienced anything like this outpouring of thoughtfulness before. This Bistro Pasta Salad arrived with a loaf of crusty bread, a bottle of wine and chocolate cake for dessert. As we dug into it, I remember thinking that it was the best pasta salad I had ever had.

What’s in this Bistro Pasta Salad?

It was loaded with things I loved like salty feta, tangy sundried tomatoes and sweet basil. It felt light and clean, the perfect dinner for a warm, early-summer evening.

I have made a few tweaks to the original Bistro Pasta Salad that our neighbors so lovingly brought to me and my newborn baby boy all those years ago. First, I doubled down on the sundried tomatoes by adding fresh cherry tomatoes, and I threw in some raw zucchini as well. I absolutely love raw zucchini, it’s actually my favorite way to eat zucchini. If you’re not a fan, swap it out for cucumber. I also love wide egg noodles in this salad. Why are egg noodles so underused? They’re so good! They’re soft without being mushy, and they add such an unexpected mellowness to pasta salad. Definitely try them.

How to serve Bistro Pasta Salad

This Bistro Salad is a great make-ahead side dish, or an awesome main entree when topped with grilled meats or fish. And obviously it’s the perfect thing to bring to a neighbor the next time you’re part of a meal train. Just make you don’t forget the crusty bread. Enjoy!

Bistro Pasta Salad

Tangy tomatoes, salty feta cheese and fresh, sweet basil come together to make this delicious side dish

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Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Total Time 30 mins

Course Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine American, Mediterranean

Servings 8

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 lb. egg noodles
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved or cut into quarters
• 3/4 red onion diced
• 1 cup sundried tomatoes diced
• 2 cups zucchini sliced into rounds or quarters
• 1 1/2 cups feta cheese crumbled
• 1 packet of prepared Good Seasons Italian or Zesty Italian dressing
• 1 cup fresh basil torn

Instructions

 

• Cook and drain the noodles according to package directions. Rinse with cold water.
• Gently fold the remaining ingredients into the pasta and top with additional basil and feta cheese.

Keyword easy, pasta, vegetarian

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