The Secret Ingredient For A Bold And Delicious Pasta Salad

Pasta salad is basically a blank canvas for creativity, but it often shows up on the table with a boring mix of noodles, veggies, and seasonings. Sure, you can kick it up by incorporating a few less common ingredients or using the best noodle shapes for your dressing to cling to — but there's one simple spice that can make your next bowl of chilled pasta goodness the talk of the party: curry powder.

While there are countless curry varieties, common yellow curry powder is easy to find on grocery store shelves worldwide and should become your go-to way to amp up your pasta salad. Each yellow curry mix varies, but expect a base of earthy turmeric and cumin, some spicy chili peppers, and rich, nutty coriander seeds. In addition to those spices, you'll find others that range from fenugreek and paprika to mustard seeds or cayenne. You might also taste warm flavors like cinnamon, nutmeg, or cloves.

Adding a few dashes of curry to your pasta salad can add depth, spiciness, and a comforting warmth. If you prefer a vinaigrette-style dressing, sprinkle it into olive oil and vinegar, or make a creamy pasta salad by stirring the curry into mayo, Greek yogurt, or sour cream. Toss it with the noodles and other ingredients for an extra lively side dish or light meal.

When adding yellow curry to pasta salad, you can likely include most of the ingredients you typically would. However, note that creamy, dairy-based sauces may mute some of the flavors in the powder. To combat that, simply adjust it — shake in some chile powder or add a sprinkle of cayenne for more spiciness, up the cinnamon or cloves for added warmth, or increase the earthiness with more turmeric or cumin. You can also introduce even more complexity by sprinkling in some garam masala.

It's also easy to add pizazz to your pasta salad with other ingredients that you may not have been tossing into it already. Try adding sweet raisins or other dried fruits to complement the savory flavor of the curry powder. To channel more South Asian flavor, you can also use raita as the base for your dressing or whisk in sauces like mint cilantro chutney or mango chutney. Or, turn up the heat with some classic red garlic chutney. For garnishes, consider sprinkling in crunchy pine nuts, almonds, or pistachios or spooning on some achaar, India's spicy and zesty take on pickles.