Pasta Salad Gets Better Flavor From This Sandwich Ingredient Hiding In Your Fridge

Pasta salad is one of those dishes that's both super comforting and incredibly tasty. On top of that, it's unbelievably versatile. It works as the ultimate side dish for grilled baby back ribs or a juicy burger, makes a refreshing (and quick) cold snack on a hot day, and can even serve as a satisfying main course with some canned tuna punching it up. If your pasta salad is missing a little something though, the answer could lie in a relish you should be adding to burgers: giardiniera.

Hailing from Italy, this pickled veggie mix is tangy, vinegary and instantly makes pasta salad more refreshing because its acidity cuts through the creamy dressings and makes it much lighter. What's more, you don't have to worry about seasoning your salad — giardiniera does most of it for you since it's already loaded with plenty of spices and herbs (whether coriander or celery seeds, bay leaf, and oregano), and it also has olive oil. It contains crunchy vegetables, including peppers, carrots, celery, and cauliflower, which beautifully contrast against the tender pasta and add more texture. If you like a little heat, use spicy giardiniera to give your pasta salad an extra kick.

Before mixing giardiniera into pasta salad, it's essential to pick the right pasta. Always opt for shapes such as rotini, fusilli, and cavatappi because they do a better job of holding onto the dressing and the rest of the ingredients. Meanwhile, the cooking "mistake" you need to make for the best pasta salad is to actually let it sit on the stove for a couple minutes past al dente. You want your pasta to stay soft after it cools.

With the pasta ready, grab your jar of giardiniera from the fridge (or the pantry if it's unopened), and take out as many of the pickled veggies as you like (or about 2 cups of drained giardiniera to about 1 pound of pasta). Drain the brine (save a spoonful to give the dressing an extra burst of flavor and thickness), and don't forget to chop the veggies into bite-sized pieces before mixing them together with the other ingredients. You can also cut some provolone and salami into pieces roughly the size of the giardiniera. In a large bowl, combine mayo, olive oil, and giardiniera brine, if you saved some. Stir everything together until well combined, then chill the pasta salad in the fridge to let the flavors come together before digging in.