Growing up, Ina Garten could do no wrong in my house. My mom had all her cookbooks and used them often, and the recipes always produced perfect results. Since then, my love for Ina has only grown — and when it comes to her pasta salad, it seems I’m not alone. Ina’s recipe has hundreds of five-star reviews with multiple people saying it’s the best they’ve ever eaten.
Disclaimer: I don’t like sun dried tomatoes and this recipe uses a a lot From them. I had to see if Ina could be the one to change her mind and if this really was the best recipe for pasta salad.
Get the recipe: Ina Garten’s Tomato Feta Pasta Salad
How to make the perfect pasta salad by Ina Garten
Cook the pasta according to package directions in a large pot of salted water. Drain the pasta in a colander and let it cool at room temperature. Then add the pasta to a large bowl with the tomatoes, olives, feta and chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Make the dressing by adding the whole sun-dried tomatoes to the bowl of a food processor along with the vinegar, olive oil, garlic, capers, salt and pepper and pulse until smooth. Pour over a bowl of pasta, add Parmesan and parsley and toss to combine.
My honest review of Ina Garten Pasta Salad
You know what I said about sundried tomatoes? I take it back. I should have known that if anyone could turn me into a sun-dried tomato fan, it would be Ina. This is the best pasta salad I’ve ever had. Honestly, I didn’t know pasta salad could be this good.
Ina here calls for using half a kilo of pasta, so the amount of pasta equals the amount of toppings, which turns out to be key in a good pasta salad. This pasta salad is really all about the flavor. Sun-dried tomatoes paired with salty feta add an umami flavor to the whole salad that keeps you coming back for more. Before serving, add the parm and parsley to round the whole thing off. I will repeat this all summer.