Salt the water properly, boil until just al dente — don't let it go soft, it'll keep cooking a little once it hits the dressing. Drain it but don't rinse yet, that comes next.

Spread it out on a baking sheet, let it sit maybe 10 minutes, or run it under cold water quick if you're in a hurry. This stops it from turning mushy later, which matters more than it sounds like it would.

While that's cooling, whisk together the mayo, sour cream, vinegar, mustard, sugar, garlic powder, salt and pepper till it's smooth. Taste it — too heavy, add more vinegar. Too tangy, a bit more sugar fixes it.

Toss the cooled pasta with about two-thirds of the dressing first so it's coated well. Then fold in the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, olives, cheese and herbs. Add the rest of the dressing after, and go easy mixing so the veggies don't get mushed up.

Cover it, stick it in the fridge for at least an hour — overnight if you can wait that long. Honestly this step is the whole difference between "fine" and "can I get this recipe."

Pasta soaks up dressing while it sits, so it might look a little dry after a few hours. Just stir in a spoonful more mayo or a splash of vinegar, give it a toss, and it's good to go.

Don't be stingy with the pasta water salt. If the pasta itself is bland, no amount of dressing fixes that later.

Never mix the dressing into hot pasta. I did this once early on and it basically broke the mayo — ended up greasy and separated instead of creamy. Cool the pasta first, always.

Cut the veggies small and even. Big onion chunks especially will wreck random bites while other spots taste like plain noodles.

If you're making it for a party ahead of time, hold back a little dressing and stir it in right before you serve. It dries out a bit overnight and that extra bit brings it back.

Ranch version — swap the vinegar/mustard for a packet of ranch seasoning stirred into the mayo-sour cream base. Different vibe entirely, still good.

Bacon and cheddar — extra sharp cheddar, crispy bacon, skip the olives. Heavier but this one disappears fast at cookouts.

Greek-ish — feta instead of cheddar, kalamata olives, a bit of dried oregano in the dressing.

Lighter option — Greek yogurt instead of mayo. Tangier, lighter, still creamy enough that you won't miss the mayo much.

Pretty much anything off a grill — chicken, burgers, ribs, doesn't matter. Also works fine on its own as lunch when it's too hot to cook anything. It travels well in a cooler for potlucks too, holds up longer than most mayo-based stuff as long as it stays reasonably cold.