As soon as the weather warms up in Austria, you’ll find bowls of Nudelsalat appearing on almost every buffet table. Whether it’s a family barbecue, a birthday party, a village festival or a picnic by the lake, pasta salad is one of those dishes that everyone seems to make.
There isn’t one single Austrian recipe. Every family has their own version, with some adding peas or sweetcorn, others chopped gherkins or hard-boiled eggs. My family always kept it simple with Knacker, peppers and onions in a creamy mustard dressing. It’s quick to make, travels well and somehow tastes even better after it’s had a few hours in the fridge.
If you’ve only ever had supermarket pasta salad, this homemade Austrian version is well worth trying.
Ingredients
For the salad
- 500g Pasta
- 1 Onion
- 1 Bell pepper
- 2 Knackwurst
For the dressing
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tbsp mustard
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp vinegar
- Salt, Pepper and a pinch of sugar
UK Sourcing Tips
Pasta: In Austria, this salad is usually made with Hörnchen, which are small curved pasta shapes. Sainsbury’s Macaroni are pretty close.
Knacker is a lightly smoked Austrian sausage that gives the salad plenty of flavour. If you can’t find it, Mattessons Smoked Pork Sausage works well.
Prep: 15 min
Cook: 8 min
Serves: 4 people
Method:
- Cook the Hörnchen in salted boiling water for around 8 minutes until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water.
- Finely dice the onion, bell pepper and Knacker (or Schinkenwurst).
- Add everything to the cooled pasta.
- In a small bowl, mix together the oil, mustard, mayonnaise, vinegar, salt, pepper and sugar.
- Pour the dressing over the pasta and stir until everything is evenly coated.
- Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.
This goes well with a freshly baked Semmel or white bread bun.
If you have any leftovers, they’ll keep well in the fridge for a couple of days. However don’t be suprise if there aren’t any.
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