Toss & serve pasta salads

Delicious warm or cold, these speedy salads make great summer suppers or take-to-work lunches

CHOOSING YOUR PASTA

There are around 350 different shapes of pasta in Italy and, while you won’t find quite so many in UK supermarkets, there's still plenty of choice.

1 GLUTEN-FREE PASTAS

There are now plenty of gluten-free pasta to choose from. Look for buckwheat, corn, and rice pasta, available in the special diet sections of all supermarkets. Make sure you follow the cooking instructions carefully as they often require less cooking time.

2 WHOLEMEAL PASTA

with wholemeal bread, wholemeal pasta is made with unrefined flour, giving a higher fibre content and nuttier taste. You'll need to cook it a little longer than white.

3 FILLED PASTA

Fresh and frozen filled pasta make an interesting change, and are also extremely quick to cook — ideal for weeknight suppers. Most are fairly delicate, so don't be tempted to overcook or boil them too hard, or they will split open.

4 DRIED PASTA

Most Italians favour dried pasta to fresh for all the same reasons as us Brits: it’s easy to store, economical and simple to cook. Most of the dried pasta we buy in the UK is durum wheat pasta, made with white durum wheat flour and water.

PERFECT PASTA

All pasta needs plenty of space to move around the pan, and should be generously covered with water. Do not cover the pan.

To cook pasta, add it to boiling water, return to the boil, then stir briefly to break up any clumps. Leave to cook undisturbed.