Provence-style Kitchen Sink Pasta Salad
An “everything but the kitchen sink” salad is just that: a salad whose purpose in life is to use up leftovers from the fridge, then be supplemented by a few pantry staples. But while I get the “everything but” bit, I prefer a more considered approach to a kitchen sink salad. My version is a hearty salad that’s packed with flavour, and the ingredients can be swapped in and out to reflect whatever cuisine you’re channelling for the meal you’re planning. It’s an easy style of salad to make when you need to feed a large group. It also has the added benefit of being substantial enough to serve as a meatless main for vegetarian guests.
Equipment
- 5L capacity pasta pot
- Colander
- Digital scales (optional)
- Salad spinner (optional)
- Citrus juicer (optional)
- Large salad serving bowl
Ingredients
- 250 g dry fusilli pasta
- 2 large red capsicums
- 12 large cherry tomatoes
- 80 g walnuts (3/4 cup)
- 100 g pitted green Sicilian olives (1/2 cup)
- 400 g tin cannellini beans
- 150 g small white pickled onions
- 100 g semi sundried tomatoes
- 100 g rocket leaves (4 loosely packed cups)
- 185 ml mixed herb pesto (3/4 cup)
- 1 lemon
- 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
Char the red capsicums:
- Blacken 2 large red capsicums directly over a gas burner, turning with tongs until the skins are well blistered and charred all over.
- If you don’t have gas, place the capsicums under a hot oven grill on a bare baking tray, skin-side up, and grill until the skins are charred and blistered, turning as needed.
- This is smoky, so turn the exhaust fan on first and have your ziplock bag (or a sealed container) ready on the bench.
Steam, peel, and rinse:
- Transfer the hot capsicums straight into a ziplock bag and seal it, then leave them to steam for about 10 minutes.
- Rub off most of the charred skin, then give the capsicums a quick rinse under cold running water to remove any stubborn black flakes and pat dry.
- Remove the seeds and pith, then chop into bite-sized pieces.
Cook and cool the fusilli:
- Bring at least 3 litres of well-salted water to a boil in a large pot over high heat.
- Add 250g dry fusilli pasta and cook at a rolling boil, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t stick.
- Follow the packet timing, but start checking a minute or two early so it stays al dente.
- Drain through a colander, then rinse thoroughly under cold running water to remove residual starch and stop the pasta sticking as it cools.
- Refrigerate until you’re ready to assemble.
Prep the remaining ingredients:
- Cut 12 large cherry tomatoes in halves or quarters, depending on size.
- Thinly slice 100g semi sundried tomatoes.
- Roughly break up 80g walnuts.
- Halve 100g pitted green Sicilian olives.
- Drain and rinse 400g cannellini beans well.
- Cut 150g small white pickled onions into halves or thirds, then separate the layers into little onion “petals”.
- Rinse and dry 100g rocket leaves in a salad spinner or between paper towels.
Make the pesto dressing:
- In a small bowl, stir together 185ml mixed herb pesto, 1 tablespoon lemon juice (from 1 lemon), and 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil until loosened and spoonable.
- The goal is a thick but viscous dressing that will coat and stick to the fusilli, integrating the pesto into the gaps in the pasta rather than sliding off and pooling at the bottom of the bowl.
Assemble the salad:
- Add the pesto dressing to the cold fusilli first and mix thoroughly, so the pasta is evenly coated before anything else goes in.
- If you like, soften the rocket by spritzing or drizzling over a drop or two of extra virgin olive oil and mixing it through, then add the rocket to the dressed pasta.
- Add about half of the capsicum, cherry tomatoes, walnuts, olives, cannellini beans, pickled onion petals, and semi sundried tomatoes and mix through gently.
- Transfer to a serving bowl, then tuck the remaining ingredients through the top so it looks generous and intentional.
Serve:
- This is best assembled just before serving so the pesto stays bright, but in my experience the colour holds well for about 4–6 hours before it deepens to a darker green.
- Serve at room temperature or cool.
Just before you cook with abandon…
Best time to assemble: These steps are best done just before serving to avoid the pesto starting to oxidise. But don’t fret too much — I find the fresh green colour usually holds for 4–6 hours before it shifts into a darker shade of green.
Dress the pasta first: The most important step is mixing the pesto dressing through the cooked fusilli before you add anything else. It stops the other elements getting drowned in dressing and keeps the presentation of the salad looking sharp.
Pesto dressing consistency: The goal is a thick but viscous dressing that will coat and stick to the fusilli, integrating the pesto into the gaps in the pasta rather than sliding off and pooling at the bottom of the bowl.
Rinsing the fusilli: Rinsing the drained pasta thoroughly under cold running water removes residual starch from the cooking water. That’s what prevents the pasta from sticking together.
Charred capsicum technique: After blackening the capsicum skins, sealing them in a ziplock bag to steam makes the skins much easier to rub off. Turn the exhaust fan on first — it gets smoky quickly — and have the bag (or sealed container) ready on the bench so you can move fast. After rubbing off most of the char, I do a quick rinse to remove stubborn black flakes, then pat dry.
Kitchen sink flexibility: But don’t be pedantic, even if that’s how I sound. Any of the ingredient categories can be left out or swapped for something entirely different.
Tablespoon sizes: My tablespoon measures are 15ml (not the larger 20ml Australian tablespoon).