The Salty Snack That Takes Pasta Salad To The Next Level

One of the best things about pasta salad is its versatility. It can accommodate a variety of your favorite ingredients as add-ins to make one cohesive side dish, and you have more mix-in options than you probably realize — especially if you want to give this iconic meal a satisfying crunch. Next to imbuing your go-to recipe with more crisp vegetables or sturdier fruits like apples or pears, one of the easiest ways to add crunch is to simply top your next bowl of pasta salad with crushed snack chips.

Fortunately, there's no limit when it comes to selecting the right chips for the job. For starters, this is a great use for potato chips. Plain potato chips work as a veritable topping on all sorts of pasta salad recipes from over-the-top BLT pasta salad with cooked bacon and romaine lettuce to Italian-style varieties featuring chopped salami and fresh mozzarella cheese. No matter what type of pasta salad recipe you're working with (more basic versions of the dish are fine, too) add a broken handful to take the salad's flavor and texture to new heights.

Other types of chips might work better depending on your recipe. For example, if you're making traditional Mexican macaroni salad, use crushed tortilla chips for a more complementary taste. Alternatively, for a pasta salad with ingredients like barbecue chicken, corn, or green onions, you might want to use barbecue-flavored kettle chips. All you need to do is choose a worthwhile chip variety that highlights the central flavors of your pasta salad.

Even though you have plenty of options at your disposal, before you add crushed chips to your next batch of pasta salad, there are a few tips worth knowing. For starters, make sure your chips-of-choice are evenly crushed. The last thing you want are large, broken chip pieces peppered into your recipe. A simple solution is to pour the chips into a resealable plastic bag so they're easy to see, and then use a rolling pin to evenly crush each one. You can also add your chips to a food processor and pulse intermittently for a finer topping similar to breadcrumbs.

Most importantly, once your chips are evenly crushed, wait to add them to your pasta salad until just before you're ready to eat. Given the fact that most pasta salads are tossed in a simple salad dressing, adding chips to this dish right before mealtime prevents them from turning soggy. Particularly, if you're used to following the Italian way to make pasta salad 10x better by incorporating a bunch of fresh, juicy tomatoes to your recipe, adding these salty snacks right before serving is even more crucial.

Better yet, to avoid any leftovers from turning soft and unappealing, include a separate bowl of crushed chips alongside your prepared pasta salad when serving. This way, each person can dress their own individual portion of salad with their preferred amount of chips. This ensures a more noteworthy crunch in each and every bite.