A flatter dish? Really. Traditional ”Pasta dishes”, especially serving dishes, are wide and almost flat, with turned up edges to keep things from rolling out.

When I make a pasta salad I would never EVER use angelhair pasta...it's too easy to over cook and, as you have found, get clumped up and not mixed with the other stuff. I prefer to use pasta in "pieces" like elbows or fusilli or penne or even bucatini broken up in pieces. And I put some of the dressing on the pasta immediately after draining, and be SURE not to ovef cook but cook just a little less than the recommended time.

And the clue to having the goodies mix well with the pasta is to have each thing cut to about the same size as he pasta you are using, so it stays mixed in.

And I mix and serve my pasta salad in a bowl!

I agree that shape makes a difference. The only time I've used long thin noodles like vermicelli or linguine was for a spicy peanut 'salad' and I cut the add-ins into julienne strips and slivers. I also break the noodles so they're shorter and easier to mix.

I like shells and other short types of pasta for salad - penne, cascatelli, etc., and use a big spoon or spoon shaped spatula to mix from the bottom. I also remix before serving.

You can also use 2 utensils like a large fork and spoon to mix.

Agree with using the pasta Linda mentioned. I probably use penne, farfalle and tortellini most often. Also agree with adding some dressing to the pasta right after draining since it absorbs more flavor while still warm.

I just made a pasta salad, in fact it's still warm. I only use a hearty pasta.....fusilli, rotini, penne etc. String pasta doesn't work. Mine is in a deep salad bowl that I mix with a large serving spoon.

When I make pasta salad, it's really vegetable salad with pasta in it, and I tend to use rotini because of the way it holds more dressing and becomes a flavor pop. BUT, angel hair is commonly used in pasta salads and saying Fillmoe should be using different pasta isn't answering the question of how to get that recipe come out right.

The thing is gravity and the way the small pieces fall to the bottom in all kinds of foods, including green salads and spaghetti. The sauces for both of those are probably stickier than the pasta salad’s, so the effect isn't as stong, but some of the bits do still to the bottom. Extruded pastas are lumpier and while the veg bits do settle, the pasta does kind of cushion them so they don't fall as far as fast.

If you do mix and serve it in a deep bowl, you can pull the pasta off the top on purpose and spoon the goodies over it after. Or use a pasta bowl, or even a platter. I can't think of anything else to keep the whole gravity/little bits sink thing from happening (the shallow dish only helps because the bottom is right there), but remember that the recipe pictures are “styled”. Even home boggers arrange them to look appetizing, and show all the ingredients. They don't just stir up that way. Maybe “styling” will work for you, too.

I use vermicelli (or rice noodles) all the time for asian style pasta salads. I think one of the tricks is to dress the noodles well so they don't clump, then add your other ingredients and toss together. I usually do it in several additions, tossing well in between.

I use rice fettuccine when I make Pad Thai, which is somewhat similar to a pasta salad because of the vegetables, except that I serve it hot, and I mix it in a wok.

For a cold seafood pasta salad, I would use rotini, and I (like the others) add the dressing to the pasta before adding the other ingredients.

I've never had cold angel hair pasta in a salad, but I have had bean threads, which are similar to angel hair, and they are less likely to clump.

If you are determined to stick with angel hair, then add the dressing to the pasta and keep the rest of the ingredients separate and add them to individual plates when serving. People can mix them into the pasta on their plates as they like. This is what I do when I make shrimp udon noodle soup, but in that case, it is to make sure that the shrimp are evenly divided.

You did not say what kind of seafood you used in your salad, and that makes a difference.