I use a large bottle of ranch dressing (any flavor) instead of mixing up the mayo sour cream and dry ranch.
On a lark, I made this "odd-ball" recipe for a pot-luck at work. It was an absolute hit! I've since made it a number of times. Makes a great side for chili. I use ripe peppers instead of green - try roasting them first for extra flavor. I always make it a day ahead - it improves with more time in the fridge.
The recipe holds up very well to modification -- add marinated artichoke, fresh basil leaves, pine nuts and substitute salami and romano (instead of bacon and chedder) for an Italian twist. Spice it up with roasted chipotle or jalapeno peppers - don't be afraid of trying other cheeses - smoked gouda or crumbled blue are delicious substitutions.
It sounds really strange but this is a great salad. I've made it twice. The first time I followed the recipe exactly and I thought the mayonnaise taste was too strong. The second time I reduced the mayonnaise to one cup and found that to be just fine. There was enough dressing even with that reduction. I also took some other reviewers suggestion and just mixed everything together. I was taking it to a parish picnic and thought it would be easier that way. I would probably do that again in the future. Some reviewers said they thought it was better the second day but I did not. I thought it was a little too moist probably because the juice from the tomatoes was released. I highly recommend this for a different and tasty salad.
I added some lettuce and omitted the mayo and bacon. A big hit.
My mom told me about this dish and I found the recipe. When I read the ingredients I was kind of hesitant but I made it anyways with a bit of a change. I omitted the tomatoes peppers and onions and added 1 can of rotel (drained). I was very surprised at how good this was. This would be a perfect side dish at a picnic BBQ or any kind of warm weather get together. Will Definately make again just not as much as it does make a rather large amount. Next time I might spice it up with some chili powder or cayenne pepper added to the dressing. Might also drain the rotel into that dressing to help with the flavor more also. Thanks for this recipe my mom is glad to have it also!
I made this recipe for the first time last summer for a family bar-be-que; not only was it pretty it got rave reviews! Even my mom & sister who both hate beans were impressed! I find that the longer it chills the better it tastes!
Absolutely the best salad recipe ever! Everytime I make it there aren't any leftovers and everyone asks for the recipe. You won't go wrong with this one.
It does sound a little odd but this salad is very good! Another plus is that by using lite versions of the mayonaise sour cream and cheddar cheese and omitting the bacon you can cut back on the calories and fat.
Excellent. Used as part of a Mexican Night themed dinner for a group of 80. Since it was winter I used canned tomatoes with jalepanos onion and green pepper...definately made the result less dry. All was gone at end of evening and several asked for recipe.
Whether or not a dish is my favorite generally I'll get a few compliments on it from people whose tastes are different... no one cared for this one. It was just kind of dry and boring and there were way too many beans. This recipe made an awful lot of it and it didn't go anywhere. Unfortunately it also didn't impress my roommate to whom I brought it all home. I didn't give it one star because it wasn't inedible it just wasn't good. This one won't come out of my kitchen again.
