Even Garten's tomato feta pasta salad calls for two kinds of tomatoes: fresh, bursting ripe ones and chewy sun-dried options for a rich contrast. The Barefoot Contessa also finds that most pasta ...

The key to a great, well-balanced pasta salad therefore isn't what you mix in, but in how much pasta you use. For Ina Garten, the best pasta salad leans less on the noodles and more on the salad.