Pasta Fagioli Salad

Original recipe by: Leslie Brenner

I always secretly liked pasta salad, which was trendy way back in the early 1980’s and then fell hopelessly out of favor until it came back four decades later, when it became a TikTok sensation.

In wintertime, pasta and beans sing together in pasta e fagioli — the comforting soup that expresses itself in myriad iterations all over Italy. So why not marry them in a refreshing, riffable, irresistible summertime salad?

That’s how my Pasta Fagioli Salad was born. Tomatoes (sundried and fresh), mozzarella, basil and parsley join forces with good olive oil and red wine vinegar — and of course the pasta, and cannellini beans — to make something that’s both quickly achieved and more delicious than the sum of its parts.

It’s perfect for a quick, cool dinner, a picnic lunch or a potluck offering. Or make a batch, stow it in the fridge and have it handy for lunches and such.

Of course there are a gaz…