Pasta salad from the Thermomix® is the recipe at ours that never has any leftovers. We have been making it for years at every barbecue, every birthday party, and the pattern is always the same: bowl empty, questions about the recipe.
The secret behind it is not really a secret: the pasta salad needs time. Anyone who makes it in the morning and serves it in the evening will notice the difference immediately. The dressing soaks into the pasta, the gherkins release their acidity, the sausage softens and gives off flavour. Made fresh it tastes flatter; after 3 to 4 hours in the fridge it tastes like the one you remember from childhood.
Classic Pasta Salad with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 16 ✓
- 500 g pasta
- 500 g water
- 5 eggs
- 100 g gherkins
- 100 g pickled peppers
- 200 g Emmental cheese
- 200 g Lyoner sausage
- 100 g peas tinned, drained weight
- 200 g sunflower oil
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 20 g herb vinegar
- 200 g Greek yoghurt (10% fat)
- 1 tbsp medium-hot mustard
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp mixed herbs frozen, or fresh if available
- 30 g gherkin brine optional
Instructions 0 / 7
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1
Cook the pasta.
Bring a generous amount of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the packet instructions.
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2
Cook the eggs in the Thermomix®.
Place 500 g water in the mixing bowl, insert the steaming basket, place 4 eggs in the steaming basket and cook for 15 min / Varoma / speed 1. Plunge the eggs into cold water to stop cooking. Rinse the mixing bowl.
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3
Prepare the vegetables and sausage.
Meanwhile, drain the gherkins and pickled peppers, cut into pieces and add to a large bowl. Cut the Emmental and Lyoner sausage into pieces and add along with the drained peas.
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4
Start the dressing.
Weigh the oil and set aside. Place 1 egg, salt and vinegar in the mixing bowl and combine for 10 sec / speed 3.
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5
Emulsify.
Set the Thermomix® to speed 4 and slowly drizzle the oil through the mixing bowl lid opening with the measuring cup in place, a little at a time, until all the oil has been incorporated.
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6
Finish the dressing.
Add the yoghurt, mustard, sugar, herbs and gherkin brine and mix for 10 sec / speed 3.5.
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7
Combine and serve.
Add the pasta to the bowl, pour the dressing over and mix everything well. Season to taste if needed. Peel the eggs, quarter 1 egg, slice the other 3 and gently fold into the salad. Garnish with the quartered egg and serve.
Tip: Instead of the Lyoner sausage, you can also use sliced frankfurters or Debreziner. If you would like to make a vegetarian pasta salad, simply leave out the sausage.
Video
Nutrition per serving
Why the dressing makes or breaks this recipe
Most classic pasta salad recipes use straight mayonnaise. Our dressing is built differently: we emulsify a raw egg with sunflower oil in the Thermomix® to make a light base mayo, then extend it with 200 g Greek yoghurt (10% fat), 1 tbsp mustard and 30 g gherkin brine. The result is creamy but not heavy. The acidity from the gherkin brine and 20 g herb vinegar balances the richness without making the salad taste sour.
The Thermomix® makes a difference here that is easy to underestimate: the emulsion when drizzling the oil at speed 4 through the lid opening with the measuring cup in place is more stable than by hand. The oil binds completely and the dressing does not split, even after sitting in the fridge overnight.
What sets this pasta salad apart from gyros salad and tuna pasta salad
We have several pasta salad variations on mixmyday.com. The tuna pasta salad goes in a completely different direction: lighter, without sausage, with capers. And the Mediterranean pasta salad uses feta, olives and sun-dried tomatoes instead of Lyoner and Emmental.
This one is the classic: 200 g Lyoner sausage, 200 g Emmental, 5 eggs, 100 g gherkins, 100 g pickled peppers, 100 g peas. That is the combination that most people in Germany know as “classic pasta salad”. No pesto, no artichokes, no feta. If that is exactly what you are looking for, you are in the right place.
Three points where it most often goes wrong
The pasta is not cooled down enough. Hot pasta absorbs the dressing immediately. That sounds good at first, but it breaks the emulsion and makes the salad watery. We always let the 500 g pasta cool completely, at least 30 minutes at room temperature, before adding the dressing.
The dressing goes in too late or too early. Too early: the pasta still has heat and thins out the dressing. Too late: there is no time left for it to soak in before serving. Our solution: mix in the dressing at least 2 hours before serving, then refrigerate. Anyone who makes it the day before will have the best pasta salad.
The eggs are added incorrectly. The recipe uses 5 eggs: 4 of them are cooked in the Thermomix® in the steaming basket for 15 min / Varoma / speed 1, and 1 raw egg goes into the dressing for the emulsion. The 4 cooked eggs are sliced and folded gently into the finished salad, with one quartered for garnish. Anyone who cooks all five and then tries to mix a cooked egg into the dressing will get a different texture.
Frankfurters, Debreziner or without sausage
Without sausage: Making the salad vegetarian works well. Increase the cheese to 250 g so the salad still has substance.
Frankfurters or Debreziner instead of Lyoner: Sliced frankfurters give the salad a slightly smokier flavour. Debreziner are spicier and turn the salad into a barbecue side with more bite.
With fresh cucumber instead of gherkins: Sliced cucumber instead of gherkins works but changes the character completely. The salad loses its typical acidity. If you do this, increase the herb vinegar to 35 g and add a little more gherkin brine to the dressing.
If you need a pasta salad quickly and do not have 3 hours for it to soak, check out our quick pasta salad with the Thermomix®. That one is ready in 20 minutes and is designed differently.
3 days in the fridge, no freezing
The finished salad keeps for 3 days in the fridge, covered with cling film or a lid. Freezing does not work: the dressing splits completely when thawed and the pasta turns mushy. If you want to prepare ahead, make everything the day before and give the salad a good stir just before serving, as the pasta will continue to absorb the liquid overnight.
Goes well with: Schnitzel and baguette.
