Pasta Salad, Fabulous No Mayo!

Submitted by Ladibugz Mom

"I've had many people who don't like pasta salad LOVE my pasta salad. The best thing is it's flexibility. Don't like tomatoes? Olives? Leave them out! Love broccoli? Chicken? Throw it in! This is quick, easy & fairly cheap, but delicious!"

 

• Ready In: 18mins
• Ingredients: 8
• Yields: 1 large dish; servings depend on what is added and i
• Serves: 8-10

ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) box salad rotini pasta (any variety will do, but this is my favorite)
• 1 tomatoes, diced
• 1 (16 ounce) can kidney beans, drained & rinsed
• 0.5 (2 1/4 ounce) can sliced black olives
• 1 (16 ounce) bottle Italian dressing, any brand
• crouton, favorite variety
• bacon bits
• parmesan cheese

directions

1. Cook pasta to desired tenderness.
2. When cooled, add diced tomatoes, olive slices and beans.
3. Add Italian dressing, measure by eye, pasta should be coated, but not swimming!
4. I usually use packets of powdered dressing mix, as do not keep bottles of Italian dressing on hand, and can make as much or as little as I want.
5. I've also played with different varieties of Italian dressings.
6. You can have fun with it, tweak to your taste.
7. If not serving immediately, refrigerate. But mix well before serving to redistribute dressing that may settle at bottom of dish.
8. Serve with croutons, bacon bits & Parmesan cheese.
9. (I serve this on the side to sprinkle on top, because if any leftovers croutons& bacon bits will get soggy when refrigerated, and vegans don't eat cheese!).

Reviews

[Stephanie S.]

I made this salad for vacation to take along. We omitted the kidney beans, since DD doesn't care for them. This salad is so good, I can't wait to make again this summer for bbq's and picnics. Next time we will use the kidney beans and try it that way. thank you for posting this yummy salad.

 

[Miss Annie]

This recipe is a nice change from mayo type salads. I thought the flavors went well together. My tomatoes are small, so I used 2 small ones. I admit, I'm an olive lover so I dumped in the whole 2 ounce can. I assumed that the Italian dressing was the 8 ounce size, and that's what I used. Next time I think I will add a nice red onion to give it more crunch. I really enjoyed this salad. Thanks so much for sharing.

 

[Merlot]

This is a great pasta salad. A nice change from the typical mayo pasta salads. We followed this exactly but used real bacon instead of bacon bits. This is quick and easy and can be made with most ingredients on hand. Next time, we will try adding chicken. Thanks so much, LadiBugz Mom.

 

[Ladibugz]

This is GREAT! So simple and quick and delicious! Easy to remember (which is good because have had to pass it on!) and easy to vary. Had with brocolli and chicken per suggestion and made it a meal!

 

[AnnieAOL]

Awesome says it all! This is so simple and has been a hit at every party I take it to! Already memorized the recipe as many times has I've had to repeat it!