Definition

1. Noun:
   • A cold dish consisting of cooked pasta mixed with various other ingredients: "pasta salad" refers to a salad where the primary component is pasta, typically served cold. The pasta is combined with vegetables, meats, cheeses, or other items and dressed with a sauce or vinaigrette.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • For the picnic, she brought a large bowl of pasta salad with olives and feta cheese.
  • This recipe for pasta salad uses a light lemon-herb dressing.

Advanced Usage

• As a culinary category: The term can describe a broad category of dishes where the type of pasta (e.g., fusilli, penne, orzo) and the dressing (e.g., creamy, vinaigrette-based) define the specific variety.
  • Italian pasta salad often features tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella.

Variants and Related Words

• Pasta (n): The base ingredient, typically referring to shaped, cooked dough made from wheat.
• Salad (n): A general dish consisting of a mixture of cold foods, often including vegetables.

Synonyms

• Cold pasta dish: A more general descriptive term.
• Pasta medley: Emphasizes the mixed nature of the ingredients.

Related Phrases

• "To make a pasta salad": The common verb phrase for preparing this dish.
  • I'm going to make a pasta salad for the potluck.

Noun

1. a salad having any of various pastas as the base