My aunt and mom created this recipe. It is a family favorite and a great item to bring to picnics and potlucks.
As is, three stars == too sweet! I'd omit the sugar and toss the broccoli in with the pasta about three minutes before done to "shock" the broccoli so it keeps its crunch and bright green color -- five stars. Also good if you substitute the green onions with diced sweet or red onions. For a full meal, I add leftover cooked chicken or ham.
Read MoreAs is, three stars == too sweet! I'd omit the sugar and toss the broccoli in with the pasta about three minutes before done to "shock" the broccoli so it keeps its crunch and bright green color -- five stars. Also good if you substitute the green onions with diced sweet or red onions. For a full meal, I add leftover cooked chicken or ham.
I was so skeptical about this dressing. The sugar with the Parmesan seemed like it couldn't be good. As I was putting it on the salad, I was scared I was going to end up wasting all those great ingredients. Wow. Was I wrong! It was phenomenal. My husband and son raved about it, and they're not ones to rave. Later in the night when they usually snack on cereal or sandwiches, they both had bowls of the leftovers from this instead. And they don't touch leftovers! It's nothing short of a miracle.
Tried this salad yesterday as I had all of the ingredients on hand. Absolutely delicious. Made as directed. Cannot wait to make it for a family get together! Thank you for the great recipe!
I would give this a 10 star if I could. This by far is the best pasta salad I ever had. I too was skeptical about sugar being in a pasta salad but that is what makes this so unique. My family is very picky and normally won't even eat macaroni or pasta salads and they woofed it all down. Next time I will make a double batch so I can have some leftovers. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Wow - delicious! My family really liked this salad, which I served with sazitza (italian sausage) made out on our grill. The only (slight) change I made to the recipe was that I substituted yellow pepper for red, because I didn't have any red. SO GOOD!
Absolutely wonderful! I made this pasta salad for a family picnic and everyone loved it. I did not make any changes.
Excellent tasting salad. Had all the ingredients on hand. Goes well with grilled meats or as a main meal. This would also be good with salami or other meats added.
Colourful and tasty! I have been making the same pasta salad recipe for years (the one on the mayonnaise jar), so was a little skeptical. But this one is fantastic - and it stays creamy the next day. Best of all my husband, who has always merely tolerated pasta salads, LOVES this!
This is the best pasta salad I have ever made or tasted. Made no changes to the recipe. It was so good, I made it again the next day for a pot luck dinner at church. So many requests for this recipe! Thank you!
This is pretty yummy. I used mayo and only one tbs. of sugar. I also added cubes of cheddar cheese. I love the broccoli in this!
This is very good. My husband doesn't usually like pasta salad, but he likes this one. The only thing I changed was to cut the salad dressing (Miracle whip) in half.
I brought this to a family BBQ and it was a hit. I had someone ask me for the recipe so she could bring it to a family reunion. I thought the dressing tasted a little salty by itself, but once you add it to the salad it is perfect. I will defiantly make this again and again!
This recipe was easy to follow and tasted great. I did add some "Salad Supreme" to it only because my other favorite pasta salad recipe has this in it. I also threw in some raw cauliflower that I needed to use up. VERY VERSATILE. This would be WONDERFUL with left over chicken or cubed dry salame. This will be on our rotating summer menu for sure!
I was looking for a pasta salad that was different from the ones that are always at cookouts. This one had great reviews so I decided to give it a try. Wow! Everyone at the party loved it! I made a few changes. Used one orange pepper instead of 1/2 green and 1/2 red. I wanted to add more color. I increased the basil to 2 teaspoons. Other than that everything else was the same. The sugar was a really nice touch to add some sweetness to the miracle whip. This recipe is a keeper!!
The best pasta salad I have had in years! My son is a very picky eater, but tends to love pasta. He loved this as well. My kids love veggies, but not raw ones, so I did omit the celery and green pepper, but I figured because red peppers tend to be sweet that they would be fine. I added them, but minced. Also, I used frozen broccoli and added to the pasta about 3 minutes before it was done boiling. I will definitely make for every bbq and will even make for a week night meal using chopped chicken, smoked sausage, or italian sausage. The possibilities are endless. EXCELLENT RECIPE!
Made recipe as directed. Made no substitutions. Dish was for a birthday party with a Minnie Mouse theme. Husband, who usually has an "it's alright" answer for every dish gave compliments to this one and recommended others try it as well. Would make it again and would try added chicken or crab for a dinner salad.
Beautiful presentation for my recent potluck dinner- and absolutely delicious!! I substituted fresh chopped baby spinach for the red pepper. I used half the sugar because I could not imagine 1/4 cup in a pasta salad. Great leftovers- was just as beautiful and delicious on day 2.. The veggies started to look tired on day 3, but still tasted great. Can't wait to make this again!
Delicious basic recipe. Here's how I did it: I cooked the broccoli with the pasta (my family likes their broccoli soft- if yours doesn't, don't add broccoli until the last 5 minutes of cooking time). 2 c. Hellman's Light olive oil mayo, no onions (didn't have any) and added 1/4 tsp of onion powder & 1/4 tsp garlic salt to the mayo mix. I sauteed some chicken strips in a little olive oil, then added a splash of white wine. I then added the pasta/broccoli to the large bowl I had made the mayo mixture in, and added in the chicken. I had tasted the mayo mix before I added the pasta, & it was a little too bland. This was really good, but I felt like it was missing something, I can't put my finger on it. Still, very good and will make it again.
My family LOVES this as do our friends! I made it for my son's first birthday party and it was such a hit! In fact, I didn't get to try it until I made it again the next weekend because it was gone the day of the party before I could even try it out! Since then I have been asked to make this at every get together and party- thank you SO much for sharing!
I make a pasta salad similar to this one, except I like to also add chopped cauliflower to it as well, and I do not use MiracleWhip, too sweet & tangy. I use real mayo (lite) and with the addition of the sugar, it is not overly sweet. I also do not add basil to mine, just a little salt and a generous sprinkle of blk. pepper. The parmesan cheese gives it a great boost! Looks beautiful & is super yummy! :-) Enjoy!
Fearing it might be too sweet for my guests, I cut back alittle on the Miracle Whip replacing with Hidden Valley Ranch dressing. I used about 3/4 of the red pepper since I love them. I also added a jar of drained marinated articoke hearts. It was a huge success at my pool party.
Loved it and so did everyone else,made me give them the recipe.Only thing I did different was not putting salt in dressing,I put it in the pasta while it cooked,seemed to taste OK. Have learned a lesson about too much salt in recipes.Great recipe,Thank your family.
I bet this would be tasty with a modified dressing, 1 1/2 cups good mayonnaise 1/4 to 1/2 cup sweet white wine (to taste, instead of sugar) 3 tablespoon Dijon mustard 3 tablespoons whole-grain mustard 2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon leaves
I can not tell you enough how good this pasta was! I made it exactly as the recipe said minus the green onions simply because I didn’t have any on hand and it was so good. Would be perfect for a summer picnic. My new go to pasta salad from now on!
I left out the green peppers. I don't think it made a big difference. I took it to a baby shower for a couple having twins and decorating the nursery in Dr Who theme. The bow ties went well with that theme! It was a big hit! The sauce makes it delicious!
I cut the sugar in half. Still too sweet for my liking but no complaints from the rest of the crowd. I will make it again and cut the sugar even more.
great salad! well receieved! I made for a large family function and I got lots of compliments and several requests for the recipe! I made it the night before and it was served for lunch and it was great. I kept the recipe just how it was... i'll be making this one again!
Made this for my son's "little man" themed 1st birthday party die to the bowtie pasta, and high rating. I love it! The party is tomorrow, but at this point, I don't care if any one else eats it, cause I will!
Really Really good! I cooked the broccoli (Next time I will throw it in with the pasta the last few minutes) and since I didn't have green peppers (or red or orange) or green onions I added half an onion and some carrots for color. I haven't served it yet but I tried it and am sure my family will love it.
Like other reviewers, I omitted the sugar and added some cooked chicken (previously seasoned with Creole seasoning). My husband loves this but I couldn't stand his mom's recipe. Added this one to the books--its the first time I've gone back for seconds!
