Our readers love a good pasta salad and how could they not with all those yummy carbs! We took our favorite pea salad and turned it into an Easy Southern English Pea Pasta Salad.

A white bowl with orchiette pasta, peas, cubed colby jack cheese, red onion and a simple dressing for the recipe southern pea pasta salad

We’ve chatted before about our love for BBQs and potlucks with friends and family, but as much as the company matters to us, we all know the food is just as important.

Bust out a creamy, delicious Easy Southern English Pea Pasta Salad and suddenly the food is what everyone is talking about. It’s tradition to bring a good pasta salad to a gathering, so make sure it’s a good one!

I still remember the first pasta salad I ever had. I believe it was called, Suddenly Salad and it came from a box.

It was not as awesome as Easy Southern English Pea Pasta Salad.

I don’t remember where I was or who was making it, but I remember this woman opening the box, making the pasta and whisking up the dressing. There was a small can of olives which she added to the pasta and stirred it all together.

A white bowl with orchiette pasta, peas, cubed colby jack cheese, red onion and a simple dressing for the recipe southern pea pasta salad

I’m not proud to say that I was young and quite vividly remember picking out the little bits of celery and peppers, but at least I ate the black olives, right?! I mean, that totally counts for something!

There’s another recipe for an easy pea pasta salad on our site that you might enjoy as well, but this one, ohhhh this one is totally our favorite this year. It’s just so simple and quick to make. As in, totally under 20 minutes to make it.

Don’t skip it completely though. It’s a fantastic recipe that I know you’ll absolutely love.

It’s full of cucumbers, peppers etc, so it’s even more filling and absolutely a recipe you should try out on your family.

We’ve already covered everything you could ever want to know about pasta salad frequently asked questions in our post on Italian Pasta Salad and even more in our Easy Greek Pasta Salad. If you haven’t read that post (or tried that recipe, gasp!)

Actually, now that I’m thinking about it, we’ve been making pasta salad in a lot of different flavor profiles, Italian, Greek, Teriyaki Chicken Pasta Salad, Southwest Pasta Salad and even a California Club Pasta Salad.

Seeeeee…

We totally know what we are talking about.

A white bowl with orchiette pasta, peas, cubed colby jack cheese, red onion and a simple dressing for the recipe southern pea pasta salad

Easy Southern English Pea Pasta Salad

Our Southern English Pea Salad Recipe is what this recipe for Southern English Pea Pasta Salad is based off of.

Obviously we encourage you to start with that.

Make that recipe first.

It’s always best to start with the recipe that inspired others so that you can truly enjoy and appreciate the starting base. But then quickly move on to your Southern English Pea Pasta Salad because, folks it’s just that good.

What Kind of Pasta for Pasta Salad

There are a few pasta shapes that we personally believe are better for pasta salad recipes.

Stick with dried pasta instead of fresh pasta as it will hold up better.

  • Penne
  • Fusilli
  • Farfalle (Bow Tie)
  • Orchiette
  • Rotini
  • Macaroni
  • Cavatappi
  • Tortellini
  • Mezze Rigatoni
  • Orzo
  • Campanelle
  • Shells

You can use any kind of pasta you want, but Cade made a good discovery that when you buy orchiette pasta, the peas, bacon and other ingredients nestle up in each pasta “ear” if you will and it’s like the perfect bite every single time.

I know you know what I’m talking about. You order a big salad at a restaurant and stab each ingredient, the spinach, the berries, a brown sugar almond and take the most perfect bite, yeah that’s exactly what it’s like without ever trying.

A white bowl with orchiette pasta, peas, cubed colby jack cheese, red onion and a simple dressing for the recipe southern pea pasta salad

Do you Rinse Pasta for Cold Pasta Salad?

When making a cold pasta salad you should always rinse the pasta.

Rinsing the pasta allows it to cool more quickly which is essential for a cold pasta salad recipe.

The BEST Tip for Pasta Salad

The best tip for pasta salad is in the cooking and dressing.

  1. Cook the pasta until past al dente, but not mushy. There won’t be a warm sauce over it, so you’ll want to take it a step further in the cooking process.
  2. Dress the pasta salad when it’s ALMOST cooled completely with 2/3 of the sauce, then right before serving, add the final bit of sauce.

Dressing in this way will allow the dressing to marinate the pasta if you will, then the final dressing sits on top and gives that extra oomph of flavor!

A white bowl with orchiette pasta, peas, cubed colby jack cheese, red onion and a simple dressing for the recipe southern pea pasta salad

We can’t wait for you to try this Southern English Pea Pasta Salad! If you do, please tag us on social media, @ohsweetbasil #ohsweetbasil and tell us if you make any changes!

A white bowl with orchiette pasta, peas, cubed colby jack cheese, red onion and a simple dressing for the recipe southern pea pasta salad

Pasta Salad RECIPES

Looking for a few different pasta salad recipes other than our Southern English Pea Pasta Salad? Here’s just a few to get you started: 

More MACARONI RECIPES You’re Going to Love:

 

Easy Southern English Pea Pasta Salad

4.48 from 21 votes
Servings: 12
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Description

Our readers love a good pasta salad and how could they not with all those yummy carbs! We took our favorite pea salad and turned it into an Easy Southern English Pea Pasta Salad.

Ingredients 

  • 6 Slices Bacon
  • 8 ounces Pasta, dried, orchiette
  • 1 3/4 Cups Mayonnaise
  • 2 teaspoons Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1 Pinch Salt
  • 16 ounces Peas, frozen
  • 1/3 Cup Onion, red, chopped
  • 1 Cup Colby Jack Cheese, chopped
  • Salt and Pepper, to taste

Instructions

  • In a skillet over medium heat, add the bacon and cook until crisp, turning once to cook on both sides.
    6 Slices Bacon
  • Remove to a paper towel lined plate.
  • Once cool, chop the bacon into small pieces.
  • Heat a large pot of water over high heat, and bring to a boil
  • Heavily salt the water until it tastes like salt water.
  • Add the pasta and cook until just past al dente.
    8 ounces Pasta
  • Rinse with cool water and set aside. The pasta should be just barely warm.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar and a pinch of salt.
    1 3/4 Cups Mayonnaise, 2 teaspoons Apple Cider Vinegar, 1 Pinch Salt
  • Use 2/3 of the dressing on the pasta, set aside the rest.
  • Add the partially defrosted peas, red onion, eggs (if desired), cheese and stir to combine.
    16 ounces Peas, 1/3 Cup Onion, 1 Cup Colby Jack Cheese
  • Right before serving add the remaining of the dressing.
  • Add the bacon and season with salt and pepper if needed.
    Salt and Pepper
  • Serve immediately.

Notes

This salad can be kept in the refrigerator for 3 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 414kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 9gFat: 33gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 350mgPotassium: 183mgFiber: 3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 420IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 92mgIron: 1mg
Author: Sweet Basil
Course: America’s Best 4th of July Desserts, Recipes and Sides

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