#1 Mushrooms
The addition of roasted or sautéed mushrooms provides deep earthiness and meatiness to your salad without the need for meat—making it a perfect option for vegetarians. We suggest roasting your mushrooms with fresh thyme and garlic for even more flavour.
#2 Corn
Many times sugar is an ingredient in pasta or potato salad. We completely get why. It balances all flavours and adds a particular addictive quality to what can sometimes be a boring side dish. Corn is a brilliant option for anyone wanting to swap sugar with a healthier option. It doesn’t only add sweetness but also brings texture to the sometimes ‘mushy’ salad.
#3 Olives
The dressing for pasta or potato salad is more often than not, mayonnaise-based. While this is yummy, it can get overly creamy, especially with pasta’s texture. The brininess of olives helps cut through the heaviness and creaminess of the salad while also giving pops of salt and colour.
#4 Feta Cheese
Cheese can be an odd ingredient in pasta salad but like olives, it brings salt and brine to the rather mundane pasta salad table. Feta cheese also gives you the opportunity to forgo the mayonnaise-based dressing and instead, use something lighter and complementary to the feta such as, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
#5 Tomatoes
Tomatoes add a surprisingly juicy and fleshy element to pasta salads. Besides being a beautiful red, its flesh quality changes up the texture of the salad—an important factor in creating an outstanding pasta salad. Texture makes dishes exciting and moreish.
#6 Fresh Herbs
Introducing fresh herbs like chives, parsley and local celery to your pasta salad can add freshness, colour and texture. It breaks up the mundaneness of a heavily dressed salad and adds lemony and floral qualities. We firmly believe that this is your key to a gourmet salad.
