Okay, I don't think anyone is seriously going to think you're supposed to put flowers in this pasta salad. The ingredients even call for frozen green peas. Also, there's no problem with rinsing the pasta- it will help cool the noodles down faster so you can eat the salad right away if you want, and I've never had a problem with mayo not sticking to rinsed noodles. That all being said, this pasta salad is very yummy and easy. You can add anything you want to it, like tuna, olives, grapes, chicken, little tomatoes, cucumber... and it always turns out good! Low fat mayo works well also.
This is a good basic recipe but I can't give it more than 4 stars because rinsing the pasta is a NO NO! The starch is needed to help the sauce stick to the pasta. I used whole wheat rotella pasta and I added 1 pound of homemade bacon bits (cut 1 lb of bacon up and fry it into bits) and used a can of drained sweet peas and a few dashes of some vidalia onion vinaigrette. Make sure the onions are chopped very very small. It's great hot or cold and just the ticket when someone asks you to bring a side dish to a party.
I picked this recipe because it incorporated what I had on hand and seemed like it would be pretty quick and easy to make. I added 1/2 a pound of bacon per another user's suggestion and used a lot less onion as my onion was very strong and I didn't want it to overpower. I also added some red pepper flakes some cajun spices and salt and pepper. Turned out great especially for being a last minute recipe and using what I had on hand. I'll make it again!:)
I make this recipe often and use small shell pasta. Believe it, or not, each shell will pick up a pea. It's my Green Pearl Salad.
Safety concern: This recipe uses the name Sweet Pea however true sweet peas are very poisonous. The pea used for this recipe should be green (English)peas (the vegetable) Cute name but it may be misunderstood. Otherwise good recipe.
I love how easy this was and it actually has good flavor as is. I am going to take others suggestions and use some bacon bits on top before serving. I used bow tie pasta because I think it makes for a better presentation. How cute this would be with some chopped red pepper for a holiday look.
I made this as a side dish for Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone loved it. I will certainly make it again.
Quick and easy salad - family loved it and it kept well in the refrigerator for a few days. Thanks Boo for the recipe. It will work well for packed lunches this summer.
This was really enjoyed with dinner and the leftovers were even better the next day. I put some of my seasoned salt in the pasta water and used red onions other than that kept it the same. Very simple and very tasty!
