Gluten-Free Pasta Salad

This summery gluten-free pasta salad is inspired by the flavors of the classic Italian Caprese salad, but because the base pasta is free of gluten, even those with wheat-related dietary restrictions can enjoy it. Fresh asparagus adds a welcome dose of green, but the ingredients can easily be shifted to accommodate any seasonal preferences or other dietary restrictions. Add this one to the menu of your next block party or picnic to feel confident you’ve got something for everyone and read on to learn about how to best choose and cook gluten-free pastas for pasta salad.

Ingredients for Gluten-Free Pasta Salad

• Gluten-free pasta: The most important part of this recipe is your favorite gluten-free pasta. This can be either legume or grain-based, according to your preference. We recommend a short, spiral-shaped pasta such as cavatappi or fusilli for this pasta salad.
• Asparagus: Trimmed asparagus segments cook along with the pasta in the final few minutes of its cook time. It adds a pleasant hit of green to compliment the colors of the traditional Caprese salad in this dish.
• Sliced ripe olives: Sliced canned olives add pleasant pops of briny flavor.
• Cherry tomatoes, basil and fresh mozzarella: This salad is inspired by a traditional caprese salad. To keep everything bite-sized, we call for halving cherry tomatoes, chopping the basil so it distributes throughout the salad and using little pearls of fresh mozzarella.
• Olive oil, rice vinegar, fresh basil and garlic: Blending olive oil, rice vinegar, fresh basil and minced garlic in a blender emulsifies them into a smooth garlic-basil vinaigrette. You can substitute white wine vinegar for the rice vinegar if you like.
• Balsamic glaze (optional): An optional drizzle of bottled balsamic glaze on the finished salad is a great way to add the sweet-tart flavor of balsamic without staining the entire salad with the caramel-colored vinegar.

Directions 

Step 1: Cook the pasta

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Cook the pasta according to the package directions, adding the asparagus during the last three minutes of cooking. Drain and rinse in cold water.

Step 2: Assemble the pasta salad

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Transfer to a large bowl. Add the tomatoes, olives and mozzarella. In a blender, combine the dressing ingredients. Process until blended. Pour over the pasta mixture and toss to coat. If desired, drizzle with balsamic glaze.

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Gluten-Free Pasta Salad Variations 

• Swap out the asparagus: Once asparagus season has ended you can use the cooking method to add other blanched vegetables to this gluten-free pasta salad. Small broccoli florets would be nice, as would fresh peas or 1-inch segments of green, wax or romano beans.
• Add additional fresh or pickled vegetables: You can customize the mix-ins for this salad however you choose. Add chopped cucumber, pepperoncini, sun-dried tomatoes, peas or anything else you enjoy. It’s nice to have a pickled element for tang.
• Add herbs or spices: Chopped parsley, oregano or crushed red pepper flakes would be right at home in gluten-free pasta salad.
• Add some protein: Add cooked shrimp, diced chicken or a rinsed and drained can of chickpeas to help give this gluten-free pasta salad some more staying power as a meal.
• Take a shortcut: Instead of making dressing from scratch, use your favorite bottled gluten-free Italian dressing or vinaigrette. Know that if you choose a balsamic vinegar-based dressing it will tint your pasta salad brown.

How to Store Gluten-Free Pasta Salad

Store leftover pasta salad that has been dressed in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Can you make gluten-free pasta salad ahead of time?

You can make gluten-free pasta salad ahead of time, and it benefits from a little while marinating in the dressing. For the best gluten-free pasta salad texture, assemble the salad within two hours of serving it and keep it at cool room temperature. Refrigerate it if more than two hours will pass between making and serving it.

Gluten-Free Pasta Salad Tips

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What types of gluten-free pasta are available?

So many kinds of gluten-free pasta are now available at the supermarket! In addition to Asian noodles made from rice, buckwheat and konjac, traditional Italian pasta shapes are made from extruded starches of lots of non-wheat sources. Corn pastas have the same sunny yellow color as their semolina counterparts. Brown rice pasta has a mild flavor and a chewy texture. For added protein, check out options made from red lentils, chickpeas, yellow peas, black beans or lupini beans. Some brands are even making fresh lasagna noodles from almonds.

What’s the best type of gluten-free pasta for pasta salad?

The trick to avoiding hard or crumbly pasta in your gluten-free pasta salad is to choose a pasta strategically. While they’re all great options when cooked and served in hot applications, I recommend brown rice pasta in particular for pasta salad because, unlike legume-based pastas, it tends to stay tender even once cool.

How do you prevent gluten-free pasta from hardening once refrigerated?

A couple of tricks are helpful to prevent gluten-free pasta salad from being dry and hard the following day. First, throw out what you know about doneness cues for wheat pastas. Al dente is not what you want here. Instead, cook the pasta for the upper time range instructed on the package, and consider adding a minute or two to that time. Gluten-free pastas should be tender throughout before you dress them. The other key tip is rinsing the pasta with cool water immediately after draining it to wash away excess starches, and then dress it with a little olive oil, or splash in some of the dressing from the recipe. Immediately adding some fat helps it retain the water it absorbs when cooking, which will keep your salad just as delicious the next day.