Easy 3-Ingredient Pasta Salad Ideas for Whatever You Have in Your Pantry

Pasta salad is always a good thing to have in your back pocket for easy dinners, weekday lunches, and virtual potlucks. While you could dig around for a perfect recipe, we’ll let you in on a little secret: pasta salad doesn’t really need a strict recipe. Here’s what you do: Cook up your favorite dried pasta until it’s al dente, drain it, run it under cold water to quickly cool it down, then toss it with a few add-ins plus salt and freshly ground black pepper and maybe a bit of olive oil and vinegar to taste. And you’ve got pasta salad. Easy.

To get you started here are 11 different 3-ingredient combinations (excluding the pasta and basics like salt, pepper, and olive oil) for whatever you might have in the pantry, in the fridge, or in the freezer.

Combine orzo with cubes of roasted eggplant, a handful of crumbled goat cheese, and a healthy sprinkle of red pepper flakes for heat. Finish with olive oil, vinegar, and salt.

Keep things colorful by tossing penne with marinated olives and a bit of their flavorful oil, chopped roasted red peppers, and lots of chopped fresh parsley. Don’t forget a little vinegar, salt, and black pepper.

A classic Italian pesto pasta in salad form: Mix twirly fusilli with basil pesto, chopped blanched green beans, and curls of Parmesan. Drizzle with a little olive oil and finish with salt and pepper.

Tortellini makes for an extra-hearty pasta salad. Combine it with baby spinach, torn prosciutto, and thinly sliced red onion before seasoning with a bit of olive oil, vinegar, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.

Toss ear-shaped orecchiette with smashed cucumbers, plain yogurt, and lots of tangy, herbaceous Middle Eastern za’atar. Sprinkle in salt to taste.

Get twirly spaghetti in on the pasta salad fun too. Combine it with cubes of roasted butternut squash, a few spoonfuls of creamy ricotta, and chopped toasted pistachios. Season with salt and pepper.

Rice-like orzo plays well with tart yet complex chopped preserved lemons, chopped fresh dill, and blanched peas. Add a little olive oil and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Toss shells with smashed chickpeas, a quick tahini dressing, and chopped fresh mint for a pasta salad with Middle Eastern flair. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

For a caprese-like pasta salad, mix fusilli with sweet oven-dried tomatoes, bite-sized balls of fresh mozzarella, and chopped fresh basil. Drizzle in olive oil and vinegar and season with salt and pepper.

Dress farfalle with pesto and yogurt and add chopped zucchini to the mix for an extra-creamy pasta salad. Sprinkle in a little salt and freshly ground black pepper to season.

Skinny angel hair gets a salty, briny punch from olive tapenade, crunch from chopped red bell peppers, and freshness from chopped fresh parsley. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil for good measure.