Um, YUM!!! I did not have salami, I used turkey pepperoni instead (I know, I know.....pepperoni is NOT salami but hey, you go with what you have on hand, right?). I also doubled the italian seasoning, doubled the amount of mayonnaise/italian dressing and the mayonnaise I used was reduced fat. This salad was off the HOOK. I think the only thing we were missing in this salad was chopped fresh roma tomatoes but really, even then we were too busy stuffing our faces with it to care. To say we loved it--HUGE understatement.
We LOVED this! I did need to use more Italian dressing than called for, a little less Italian seasoning (personal preference) and used tri-colored wheels instead of rotini (per my little guy), but those were my only changes. All of the ingredients went together very well, and I liked the addition of the mayo in this. I will be making this again and again! Thanks for sharing. :)
So good!!! Used rotini pasta instead. Made 4 times in just last few weeks!!! No onion after the first batch. Great side dish ..everyone loves it!
I have made a similar pasta salad for years but never added the peppers and artichoke hearts. It was very good. Did add 4T of McCormick Salad Supreme and a little bit of French dressing. But it is 5 star as written!
We LOVED this recipe! I only changed a few things. Greek dressing instead of Italian and Kalamata Olives instead of black. So good! I prefer it warm but cold is good too!
This recipe is awesome! I made it for a family gathering and it was a hit! Everyone complimented me on the pasta salad. I am actually planning on making it again tonight so my husband and I can have it for our lunches. It was a little time consuming but totally worth it! I also used Greek dressing as someone else suggested. I also used grated romano instead of shredded parmesan (accidentally did this; didn't notice it said shredded). I did not measure it; I just put in what felt right. I also added some pepperoni. You will need more dressing. I made it as directed then made another batch of the dressing on the side and added it right before serving it. DELICIOUS!!!
I'd really suggest dialing back the mayo by about half. Much better after I made the reduction. As a topping, where its flavor can better stand on its own, the Parmesan is better than as part of the mix. I use only the deeper colored, better quality, dry salami, which adds nice flavor bursts without coming to the fore. After the first time, I refrigerated in groups to preserve flavors and what crunch there is ... I felt this to be a significant improvement to the final presentation as this is not a single flavor but a medley. Pepperoncini are simply too intense. I use banana pepper on the side and none but the fire eaters see it as an improvement. IMHO, this salad works best as an assembly of equals, none dominating, none reticent. Overall, I've never had one I preferred and this is now my 'go to' when I've the time to prep ingredients. Only problem is I had to stop at five stars. TWEAKS (of course, right?): (1) While more expensive, cubes of goat cheese (NOT Feta) in place of / preferably in addition to, the Mozzarella are *sublime;* (2) Added 1/2 cup diced scallion (a.k.a. green onion); (3) Substituted 2 tsp freshly minced garlic for the powder, added directly to dressing (OK, I'm a garlic lover, I admit it); (4) *Spanish* stuffed olives in an *Italian* salad ?! Sacrilege! Besides their only proper use is in a traditional martini ... used 8 oz black olives; (5) Dropped the artichoke hearts after first edition ... didn't miss ... flavor too subtle for this mix.
I made this pasta salad as written (with the exception of I had to quadruple the dressing)for a work luncheon. The pasta salad was gone within 30 minutes with rave reviews from all and several requests for the recipe. Anyone that works in an office full of women will appreciate the fact that there was no one who didn't like this pasta salad. LOL
Everybody loved it! Lots of ingredients so it took a bit to put together but well worth the trouble.
I like 99% of the recipes on here but every once in a while there is one that doesn't click. I made this (to the tee according to the recipe) for a dinner reception for a large group of children...over 50 people. The kids (and parents) took one or two bites and didn't eat any more. I felt bad but like I said some recipes just don't work.
