Delicious, easy pasta salad recipe

hooverwheelaway · Jun 23, 2015

We visited Greg a few weekends ago, and his mom popped over for a visit. We were sitting there chatting and somehow, I don't exactly recall, she spurted out a pasta salad recipe that sounded incredibly easy. So I remembered the ingredients and made it on Sunday night. It turned out to be absolutely delicious - and as with any pasta salad, you can add or subtract whatever ingredients you like!

Mix together

1 cup mayo (I used light mayo)

1 cup sour cream (used light also)

1 package Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix

Boil 1 Box of pasta

Cook (I grilled) a pound of chicken breast tenders, and chopped them up

I also cut some celery, a yellow pepper, and a little onion. Mixed it all together, and volia!

Thanks Greg's Mom!

Does anyone else have any favorite go-to recipes?

revvinkevin · Jun 23, 2015

That sounds (and looks) delicious!

Thanks Fred (and Greg's mom)!

Kevin

norgeway · Jun 23, 2015

My go to

Pasta salad is NOT easy!LOL, I will post the recipe, Im making it for Friday when Ralph and Kevin are coming to visit.

philcobendixduo · Jun 23, 2015

My Pasta Salad

I LOVE pasta salad during the Summer months!

I cook one box of rotini (I like Barilla "veggie" rotini)
Rinse in cold water when cooked.
Add to cooked pasta:
1 16oz jar of marinated mushrooms with garlic (drained) (Trader Joe's or similar)
1 3.8 (drained weight) sliced black olives
marinated artichoke hearts (add as many as you like)
shredded parmesan cheese (as much as you like) (you can substitute any other cheese you like such as crumbled feta or cheddar cubes)

For the dressing, I use Good Seasons Italian dressing mix but with reduced amount of olive oil:
(if you don't care about calories, use the directions on the packet with full amount of olive oil!)
1 packet of Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix
1/3 cup of red wine vinegar
1/3 cup of water
1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
Mix well (or shake in Good Seasons dressing bottle) and pour entire contents over salad.
Mix salad well and let sit in refrigerator several hours or overnight to allow flavors to permeate pasta.
Stir again just before serving.
Makes 5 "meal sized" servings or 8 side servings.

ENJOY!

wayupnorth · Jun 23, 2015

Starch on Starch

I use elbow macaroni, cubed potatoes and egg cooked. Add to celery, onion, seeded cucumber, mix in mayo, bleu cheese dressing, sour cream, hot sauce, and spices. I cant give exact measurements because I dont measure and every batch is a little different. Very rich, high in calories but so good. Perfect with slow cooked beef ribs.

mattl · Jun 23, 2015

My dressing...

I use the same dressing for both pasta and potato salad. For macaroni I use what ever pasta I have, but prefer elbow style, green pepper, onions and a bit of shredded carrot. Of course hard boiled eggs are a must. I generally like to have vegetable quantity roughly equal to the pasta.

Very simple dressing , been around for 60-70 years.

2 c. Miracle Whip. Never mayo - yuck
3T. Sugar
3T prepared Mustard
1/3 c. cider vinegar
2/3 c. Evaporated milk.

Mix, add enough to coat the ingredients . Will keep for a week or two if you have leftover.

ea56 · Jun 23, 2015

My husband and I like old fashioned Macaroni Salad

in the Summer. I make it like my Mom and Grandma, and I don't measure. The boil a 1 lb. box of Salad Macaroni (not elbow) for 10 to 12 mins. Boiling it longer prevents the macaroni salad from drying out as the macaroni is already more saturated with water, thereby not as likely to absorb the dressing. Drain and rinse the macaroni, put in a large bowl ( 4 to 6 quart). Mix in 3/4 to 1 cup mayonnaise, 3/4 to 1 cup sour cream, 1/2 to 2/3 cup sweet pickle relish (or more if you like), a 4 oz. jar of diced pimentos, a 15 oz. can of whole black olives, sliced, 1/2 med. onion, finely diced, 3 to 4 stalks celery, finely diced, 1/4 cup (or more to taste) chopped fresh parsley, salt and pepper to taste and a few dashes of garlic powder. Mix together well and refrigerate. I never put hardboiled eggs in either macaroni or potato salad.

When David and I were first married we used to have this salad frequently for dinner with hot dogs, eating off TV trays while we watched "Wheel of Fortune" or "Entertainment Tonight". David is Italian, he used to ask me if we were going to have "hot dogs and Macaron" for dinner. We have fond memories of those days over 30 years ago.

norgeway · Jun 24, 2015

Aunt Georgies Macaroni Salad

We had this for years at my Dads familys get togethers, I love it.

8 oz box cooked macaroni

1/2 cup each...sliced celery,olives,green pepper,cucumbers,cubed cheddar cheese,chopped onion,

5 or 6 sliced radishes

2 tbsp. minced parsley

Mix and add the dressing

1 cup Dukes mayo

2Tbsp vinegar

2 tsp prepared mustard

1/2 tsp celery seed

1 1/2 to 2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

mix well , pour over other ing., mix well, chill

I like this because it has no boiled eggs, im by eggs like Donald is pineapple, if I see one speck of a boiled egg in something, I wont go near it.., same for any way you can fix an egg!!if they are not in baked goods, I wont eat them!LOL

nashmaytagbear · Jun 24, 2015

Taco Salad

One of our easiest pasta salads that we like is Taco salad

cook 1lb hamburger and drain.
put in 1 packet of your favorite taco seasoning and simmer.
cook 1 pkg of spiral noodles and drain
In a large bowl mix together noodles and taco meat then add anything that you would put in tacos
lettuce
tomatoes
olives
onion
add to this mixture 1 bottle of catalina dressing then let it marinate at least an hour to overnight in the fridge.

I found this recipe on facebook and we really enjoy it.

cuffs054 · Jun 24, 2015

Sorry, Gentlemen. This, I say this,is the world's greatest Pasta Salad since the dawn of pasta!

Authentic Hawaiian Macaroni Salad Recipe - I Believe I Can Fry

This fabulous Hawaiian macaroni salad recipe is the perfect blend of creamy mayonnaise, fresh vegetables, and bit from the apple cider vinegar.

www.ibelieveicanfry.com

norgeway · Jun 24, 2015

Cuffs....

That does look GOOD!

cuffs054 · Jun 24, 2015

Norge, I got the recipe out of a Cooks Illustrated years ago. It tastes so different than the usual with the vinegar and milk. It is a hit with all my neighbors.

frigilux · Jun 25, 2015

This is a great spaghetti salad. Back in the catering days, I'd tweak a recipe until it reached the 'damn good' stage. We'd make the recipe exactly the same way from that point forward. Customers want absolute consistency in the menu items they order.

DAMN GOOD SPAGHETTI SALAD (12 servings)
12 ounces uncooked spaghetti, broken into thirds
4 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 2.25-oz. cans sliped ripe olives, drained
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 green onions, thinly sliced (both white and green parts)
1 cup diced Swiss cheese

Dressing:
2/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
4 teaspoons sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
3 tablespoons Salad Supreme Seasoning (McCormick brand)
2 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and rinse.

2. Meanwhile, make dressing large mixing bowl, whisking all dressing ingredients thoroughly. Stir in spaghetti.

3. Add tomatoes, ripe olives, parsley, cucumber, green onions and Swiss cheese. Toss to combine.

4. Chill, tightly covered, in refrigerator. Remove salad from refrigerator about 15 minutes prior to serving for best flavor.

gansky1 · Jun 25, 2015

This was my mom's recipe? LOL - I totally missed that conversation. I don't care much for mayo/salad dressing so I'm sure I tuned out around this time ;-)

chachp · Jun 25, 2015

I have made this for years.

It's a little bit of work but I can guarantee it's worth it. If you like lemon and garlic this one is sure to please:

 

Chach’s Lemon Garlic Pasta Salad

<ul>
<li>Use whatever pasta you want. I use 1 pound of bow tie pasta</li>
<li> I steam one pound of Turkey breast with some fresh basil. Cool and shred into smaller pieces</li>
<li> Kalamata Olives. The amount depends on your taste a couple of hands full should do it.</li>
<li> About 8 Oz. of crumbled Feta Cheese</li>
<li> Pepperoncini – again the amount you like and reserve a few for garnish</li>
<li>A few hard boiled eggs sliced and reserve a few for a garnish (optional)</li>
<li>Lemon Garlic Mayonnaise (recipe below)</li>
</ul>
 

<ol>
<li>Boil the pasta till it has a little bite. Rinse with cold water and drain well.</li>
<li>Mix together other ingredients except for the mayonnaise</li>
<li>Start with about 1 ½ cups of mayonnaise but continue to add until you reach the amount you like.</li>
<li>Garnish with a few Peppers and some slices of hard boiled eggs.</li>
</ol>
 

Lemon Garlic Mayonnaise

<ul>
<li>1 whole egg</li>
<li> 2 egg yolks</li>
<li>½ cup fresh lemon juice</li>
<li>Salt and Freshly ground pepper</li>
<li>6 to 8 Large Garlic Cloves, peeled</li>
<li>2 ¼ cups good quality olive oil</li>
</ul>
 

<ol>
<li>Combine eggs and ¼ cup lemon juice in the food processor. Season with salt and pepper. Process for 1 minute using the steel blade.</li>
<li>With the processor running, drop the garlic through the feed tube. Insert the feed tube pusher and add the olive oil in a steady stream (Cuisinart processors have a hole in the bottom of the feed tube pusher for this purpose) until all the oil is incorporated.</li>
<li>Turn off the processor, taste and correct seasoning. I usually add a little more lemon juice.</li>
<li>This is better the next day.</li>
</ol>

lordkenmore · Jun 25, 2015

I'm frankly in a lazy bum mood these days, and only cook for myself. So my pasta salad basically consists of this recipe:

-Cook a quantity of pasta. (I usually use 100% whole wheat.)
-Drain it.
-Add other stuff which varies depending on what I have, and what I feel like.
-Add some sort of salad dressing. Choice depends on what I have and whim of the moment.
-Mix.

Wow. I should get my own PBS cooking show. Perhaps "Mastering the Art of Being a Lazy Slob Cook." LOL

xraytech · Jun 25, 2015

To me a pasta salad has an oil/vinegar dressing and macaroni salad is a mayo dressing

Here is my Pasta Salad:

3 lbs tri color springs cooked
1 lb hard salami sliced 1/4" thick and cubed
3/4 lb sandwich pepperoni sliced 1/4" thick and cubed
3/4 lb muenster cheese cubed
3/4 lb longhorn cheese cubed
2 cans large black olives left while
1 cucumber peeled and diced
1/2 sweet onion finely chopped(optional)
Approx 1/2 to 3/4 gallon prepared Italian dressing
1 cup McCormick Salad Supreme

In very large vessel mix cooked pasta with meats, cheeses, olives, and vegetables, preferably while pasta is still warm. Mix in dressing until very moist and well coated(you may need more later after it cools)
Stir in 1 cup if salad supreme, you know there is enough in the salad when it takes on a nice orange color.

Serve cold

joeypete · Jun 26, 2015

OMG

I tried the mayo/sour cream/Good Seasonings recipe and it is freaking delicious!!! This is my new secret recipe. LMAO. ;-)

philcobendixduo · Jun 26, 2015

Macaroni Salad

My favorite "pasta salad" when I was growing up was the "macaroni salad" my mother made.
It is very simple;
1 package of "small shells" cooked, drained, rinsed
Add:
2 small cans of tuna (drained) (I often substitute canned salmon)
1 "bunch" of spring (green) onions sliced
enough mayonnaise to make it "creamy"
Mix well and refrigerate overnight for best taste.
I STILL love it!

Delicious, easy pasta salad recipe

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