Salt the tomatoes and walk away for fifteen minutes. Martha Stewart’s Pasta Salad with chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, fennel, and capers gets dressed twice, once while the pasta is warm and again right before serving.
I bring this to every cookout because it feeds a crowd and actually tastes better after sitting in the fridge. The lemon and red wine vinegar dressing soaks into the pasta overnight and day two is always the best bite.
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Why Dress The Pasta While It Is Still Warm
Warm pasta absorbs dressing like a sponge. If you wait until it cools the vinaigrette slides off and pools at the bottom of the bowl, which I learned the hard way.
Spread the drained pasta on a sheet pan, toss with half the dressing, and let it cool for 20 minutes. The other half goes on at the end after everything is combined.
Pasta Salad Ingredients
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 pound gemelli or fusilli pasta
- 1 fennel bulb, cored and chopped
- 3 tablespoons capers, chopped
- 2 tablespoons caper brine
- 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 4 ounces fresh mozzarella, cubed
- 1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
- 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
How To Make Martha Stewart Pasta Salad
- Make the vinaigrette: Mash the garlic with 1/2 teaspoon salt into a paste. Whisk in the lemon juice, red wine vinegar, oregano, olive oil, and pepper.
- Salt the tomatoes: Toss the halved tomatoes with 1/2 teaspoon salt in a colander set over a bowl. Let them drain for 15 minutes.
- Cook the pasta: Boil in generously salted water until just tender. Drain but do not rinse. Spread on a sheet pan and toss with half the vinaigrette. Let cool for 20 minutes.
- Build the salad: In a large bowl, combine the fennel, capers, caper brine, chickpeas, mozzarella, and drained tomatoes.
- Combine and dress: Add the cooled pasta and the remaining vinaigrette. Toss everything together until evenly coated.
- Finish: Top with grated Parmigiano and chopped parsley. Serve at room temperature or chill and bring back to room temp for 30 minutes before serving.
What Are The Biggest Pasta Salad Mistakes
Rinsing the pasta under cold water is the first one because it washes off the starch that helps the dressing stick. The second is using too little salt in the cooking water because bland pasta cannot be saved by dressing alone.
The third is dressing cold pasta, which I did once and it tasted like noodles sitting next to a salad instead of a pasta salad. Warm pasta, half the dressing, cool, then the rest.
Do You Have To Use Chickpeas
The chickpeas are in Martha’s original and I keep them because they add protein and a nutty bite. Without them the salad feels lighter but less like a meal.
If you want to swap, white beans work or you can skip them entirely. I have also added olives when I wanted something saltier, which Martha does not call for but fits the flavour of the dressing perfectly.
What I Bring This To
Every summer cookout, full stop. This sits on the table next to grilled pepper bruschetta and a plate of whatever is coming off the grill. It feeds 6 easily and people always go back for seconds.
At home I eat it as a full lunch with nothing else, or alongside Italian panini. A glass of lemonade and this bowl is all I need on a hot afternoon.
How It Tastes The Next Day
Better. The dressing soaks deeper into the pasta overnight and the fennel softens just enough to stop being crunchy and start being silky. I always make this a day ahead when I can.
Add a splash of vinegar and a drizzle of olive oil before serving if it looks dry after sitting. The Parmigiano and parsley go on at the very end, never the night before, because they lose their punch.
FAQs
- Can I use a different pasta shape? Short shapes with grooves work best because the dressing gets into the ridges. Fusilli, rotini, or penne all work. I would skip spaghetti or long noodles.
- What if I do not like fennel? Swap it for diced celery or thinly sliced radishes. You want something with crunch to balance the soft pasta and mozzarella.
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Nutrition Facts
(1 serving, serves 6)
- Calories: 420
- Total Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Cholesterol: 15mg
- Sodium: 580mg
- Total Carbohydrates: 50g
- Protein: 15g
Martha Stewart Pasta Salad Recipe
Description
Salt the tomatoes and walk away for fifteen minutes. Martha Stewart’s Pasta Salad with chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, fennel, and capers gets dressed twice, once while the pasta is warm and again right before serving.
I bring this to every cookout because it feeds a crowd and actually tastes better after sitting in the fridge. The lemon and red wine vinegar dressing soaks into the pasta overnight and day two is always the best bite.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Make the vinaigrette: Mash the garlic with 1/2 teaspoon salt into a paste. Whisk in the lemon juice, red wine vinegar, oregano, olive oil, and pepper.
- Salt the tomatoes: Toss the halved tomatoes with 1/2 teaspoon salt in a colander. Let them drain for 15 minutes.
- Cook the pasta: Boil in generously salted water until just tender. Drain but do not rinse. Spread on a sheet pan and toss with half the vinaigrette. Let cool for 20 minutes.
- Build the salad: In a large bowl, combine the fennel, capers, caper brine, chickpeas, mozzarella, and drained tomatoes.
- Combine and dress: Add the cooled pasta and the remaining vinaigrette. Toss everything together until evenly coated.
- Finish: Top with grated Parmigiano and chopped parsley. Serve at room temperature or chill and bring back to room temp for 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Dress the pasta warm: Warm pasta absorbs dressing much better than cold. Toss it with half the vinaigrette right after draining.
- Salt the tomatoes: Fifteen minutes in a colander draws out excess water so they do not dilute the dressing.
- Make it ahead: This salad tastes better the next day. Add Parmigiano and parsley right before serving.