This no mayo pasta salad, or ensalada de pasta, is the one you bring to every cookout, family gathering, and beach day from May through September. Dressed in a tangy red wine vinaigrette instead of mayonnaise, it's lighter and brighter than the classic.
This no mayo pasta salad is great for outdoor gatherings and cookouts. It travels well, holds up in a cooler, and tastes just as good a few hours after you make it as it does fresh. Serve it alongside Pinchos de Cerdo (pork kabobs), Pollo Asado (roasted chicken thighs), Pernil (roasted pork), or Chuletas Fritas (fried pork chops).
For more inspired Puerto Rican sides, try Guineitos en Escabeche (pickled boiled green bananas), Arroz con Habichuelas, and Mamposteao, both rice-and-bean dishes: one is mixed from the start, while the other uses leftover white rice and beans. Or go the plantain route with Tostones, smashed fried plantains, and Mofongo, fried and mashed plantains with garlic, butter, and pork rinds.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Tasty. Even without mayo, this pasta salad is packed with flavor. The smokiness of the bacon and the tanginess of the red wine vinegar create a balance that keeps you coming back for more.
- Hearty. The garbanzos make this something that actually eats like a meal, not just a side dish.
- Make Ahead. This "ensalada de pasta" with vinaigrette improves after a few hours in the fridge as the pasta absorbs the dressing. Make it the night before and you're done. Just save some of the dressing to freshen it up before serving.
- The Rican Touch. There are a few ingredients we love in Puerto Rico, and Gouda and queso de bola are among them. Creamy, slightly nutty, and sturdy enough to hold its shape after tossing.
Ingredient Notes
- Elbow macaroni. The classic choice for pasta salad. The small curves catch the vinaigrette in every bite.
- Bacon. Diced and rendered until crispy. The bacon adds a smoky, crunchy texture you don't get from any vegetable.
- Garbanzos. They add protein, creaminess, and bulk. This is what makes this pasta salad with beans feel like more than a side dish.
- Gouda. Mild enough not to overpower and firm enough to stay in clean cubes after tossing.Culantro. It has a deeper, more assertive flavor than cilantro, and it's what gives this pasta salad its distinctly local character.
See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Variations and Substitutions
- No culantro? Use flat-leaf parsley for a similar fresh green note, or cilantro. The flavor will shift, but the salad will still work.
- Different cheese. Queso del país or queso blanco are natural Puerto Rican alternatives. Provolone cubes, sharp cheddar, or pepper jack will also hold their shape well and add great flavor.
- Make it a spring pasta salad. Add blanched green peas, thinly sliced radishes, or asparagus tips cut into small pieces for a more seasonal variation.
- Swap the pasta. Rotini, farfalle, or penne all work well if elbow macaroni is not available.
- Vegetarian. Skip the bacon and double the garbanzos. The vinaigrette carries the salad on its own.
Not all variations or substitutions have been tested. If you try any of them, please let me know in the comments.
Top Tip
Salt your pasta water generously. This is the only chance you have to season the pasta itself. Under-seasoned pasta will make the whole salad taste flat, no matter how good your vinaigrette is.
How to make this No May Pasta Salad
Precook the pasta to al dente according to the package instructions. Have all the ingredients peeled and diced.
- Step 1: Render the fat and crisp the bacon.
- Step 2: Reserve the bacon fat, then place the bacon on absorbent paper to soak up the remaining fat.
- Step 3: Cook the pasta according to the package. This step can be done ahead of time, or while you are crisping the bacon.
- Step 4: In a mixing bowl, add the mustard, vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper. Add any other dried herbs you would like here as well.
- Step 5: Mix the reserved bacon fat with olive oil in a pourable container. Then, in a steady thin stream, incorporate the fat into the vinegar while constantly whisking to emulsify the dressing.
- Step 6: In a bowl, add the pasta, diced vegetables, bacon bits, and garbanzos. Pour ¾ of the dressing and mix. Reserve the last of the dressing for just before serving.
- Step 7: Chop some fresh herbs, such as culantro or parsley, to add a bright touch to the salad, then refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes before serving, so the flavors can settle and the pasta can absorb the dressing.
- Step 8: Just before serving, add the cheese and mix one more time with the remaining dressing. Taste and adjust salt before serving. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Expert Tips
- Cook pasta al dente. Slightly firm pasta holds up better after tossing and chilling. Overcooked pasta will turn mushy after a few hours in the fridge.
- Cool the pasta completely before dressing. Warm pasta absorbs dressing too aggressively, leaving the salad dry after chilling. Rinse with cold water and give it time.
- Dress in two rounds. When you first toss the salad, use about three-quarters of the vinaigrette. Reserve the rest and add it right before serving. Pasta absorbs dressing as it sits in the fridge, so that the reserved portion refreshes the whole bowl and keeps it from tasting dry or flat.
- Add the Gouda before serving. Gouda will soften and get soggy if it sits in the vinaigrette for hours. Add it right before you serve so every cube stays firm and clean.
- Make it ahead. This no-mayo pasta salad tastes better after a few hours in the fridge as the flavors meld. Make it the night before, hold back a quarter of the dressing, and add it right before serving with a final taste for salt.
- Taste before serving. Cold mutes flavor. What tasted well-seasoned before chilling may need another pinch of salt after refrigerating.
Recipe FAQs
This no mayo pasta salad keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container. Because it's dressed with vinaigrette rather than mayonnaise, it holds up better over time than creamy pasta salads. The pasta will continue to absorb the dressing, so if you're making it more than a day ahead, add a small splash of olive oil and red wine vinegar before serving to freshen it up. Give it a good toss and taste for salt before serving leftovers.
Salt your pasta water generously, cook the pasta al dente, and dress the salad in two rounds. Use about three-quarters of the dressing when you first toss everything together, then add the rest right before serving. The pasta absorbs dressing as it chills, so that second round keeps it from tasting dry.
Under-salting the pasta water, overcooking the pasta, and dressing it all at once are the three most common ones. Adding delicate ingredients like cheese too early is another. In this recipe, the Gouda goes in right before serving, so it stays firm.
A vinaigrette is the most common mayo substitute in pasta salad, and it's what we use here. Ted wine vinegar, olive oil, and a little Dijon mustard come together into a light, tangy dressing that coats the pasta without the heaviness of mayo. Greek yogurt is another option if you want something creamy without the mayo.
Freezing pasta salad is not recommended. The pasta turns mushy after thawing, and the vegetables lose their texture entirely. Since this no mayo pasta salad keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, freezing is not necessary.
More Sides and Salads Recipes
- Puerto Rican Cauliflower Yellow Rice
- Arroz con Habichuelas (Puerto Rican Rice with Beans)
- Gandules (Pigeon Peas)
- Arroz Con Gandules Recipe (Puerto Rican Rice and Pigeon Peas)
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📖 Recipe
No Mayo Pasta Salad
Equipment
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 small mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon
- 1 cups dried pasta
- 1 tsbp Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 small carrot peeled and small-diced
- 1 stalk celery peeled and small-diced
- ½ cucumber small-diced
- ½ medium red onion small-diced
- 12 grape tomatoes quartered
- 1 cup garbanzos drained
- 4 oz Gouda Cheese small-diced
- 4 leaves culantro fine chop, or parsley
Instructions
- Render the fat and crisp the bacon4 slices bacon
- Reserve the bacon fat (this can be added to the dressing), then place the bacon on absorbent paper to drain the remaining fat.
- Cook the pasta according to the package. This step can be done ahead of time or while you are crisping the bacon.1 cups dried pasta
- In a mixing bowl, add the mustard, vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper. Add any other dried herbs you would like here as well.1 tsbp Dijon mustard, ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- Mix the reserved bacon fat with olive oil in a pourable container. Then, in a steady thin stream, incorporate the fat into the vinegar while constantly whisking to emulsify the dressing.½ cup olive oil
- In a bowl, add the pasta, diced vegetables, bacon bits, and garbanzos. Pour ¾ of the dressing and mix. Reserve the last of the dressing for just before serving.1 small carrot, 1 stalk celery, ½ cucumber, ½ medium red onion, 12 grape tomatoes, 1 cup garbanzos
- Chop some fresh herbs, such as culantro or parsley, to add a bright touch to the salad, then refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes before serving, so the flavors settle and the pasta can absorb the dressing.4 leaves culantro
- Just before serving, add the cheese and mix one more time with the remaining dressing. Taste and adjust salt before serving. Serve chilled or at room temperature.4 oz Gouda Cheese
Notes
- Salt your pasta water generously. This is the only chance you have to season the pasta itself. Under-seasoned pasta will make the whole salad taste flat, no matter how good your vinaigrette is.
- Cook pasta al dente. Slightly firm pasta holds up better after tossing and chilling. Overcooked pasta will turn mushy after a few hours in the fridge.
- Cool the pasta completely before dressing. Warm pasta absorbs dressing too aggressively, leaving the salad dry after chilling. Rinse with cold water and give it time.
- Dress in two rounds. When you first toss the salad, use about three-quarters of the vinaigrette. Reserve the rest and add it right before serving. Pasta absorbs dressing as it sits in the fridge, so that the reserved portion refreshes the whole bowl and keeps it from tasting dry or flat.
- Add the Gouda before serving. Gouda will soften and get soggy if it sits in the vinaigrette for hours. Add it right before you serve so every cube stays firm and clean.
- Make it ahead. This no-mayo pasta salad tastes better after a few hours in the fridge as the flavors meld. Make it the night before, hold back a quarter of the dressing, and add it right before serving with a final taste for salt.
Zoe Forestier Villegas says
I love this salad because it is hearty and flavorful.