This had to be one of the easiest salads I ever made. And it tasted good too. I used medium shells instead of macaroni because I had it in my closet. Also used Fat Free Mayo (and I always like to cut the calories). But I like a lot of flavor so I also added about a half cup of chopped onion and a half cup of frozen corn. Also put in about a Tbsp of chili powder for more Mexican flavor. Then right before serving I sprinkled chopped cilantro on top. Yummy!! I will definitely make this again. And maybe use black beans as someone else suggested.
I was worried about this one before I tried it -- it seemed pretty odd. I followed exact recipe directions including the black olives which really added a lot to the flavour and hot salsa (Herr's brand). If I had to do it again I would do it with medium salsa since it was a bit hot for me. I tested it out on college-age friends and they seemed to really like it. The recipe is not as creamy as I am accustomed to in a pasta salad but one could always add more mayonaise if that is desired. I think choosing a good brand of salsa is key to this recipe -- many of the salsas on the shelf looked machine-made. This came out as mostly pasta with a little bit of the veggies here and there -- those who prefer a more varied mix may want to add red and yellow pepper and perhaps even some cucumber. Good constitution though nice proportions and has a very 'surprising' effect on those who eat it. Nobody expects a pasta salad with zip!
I made this for a party of about 40 people. I doubled the recipe and added a few extras i.e. the black beans corn chopped celery etc. This was way more than enough for our group. I don't think I'll double it the next time but a least I had some great leftovers to take home and enjoy.
Greetings all!:-) Thank you for trying my recipe and for your reviews. I love to read how others have taken one of my recipe and added to it to make the recipe their own. The addition of corn black beans green onion etc... all great ideas. Most recipes are adaptable to variation so never be afraid to experiment that's what makes cooking fun. And when someone says "I love this can I have "YOUR" recipe?"... now that's a great feeling.
This salad needs to chill for at least a few hours before serving. It isn't very good otherwise. The dressing is a very odd shade of pink and I was nervous to even taste it. I didn't like it when it was first done but after an hour it was tasty. I think a whole teaspoon of garlic powder (the brand I have anyway) would be WAY too much. I used about 1/4 teaspoon. I added a can of kidney beans and I think they balance out the salad visually texture and flavorwise.
This recipe was a big hit at my neighborhood potluck! I did have one problem though- I had only 1/2 cup of mayo so I used 1/2 Kraft Miracle Whip with the mayo. It created a great sweet contrast with the hot salsa! Also using Rainbow Rotini was very festive and appealing to the eye!
This is a keeper!!! I made the salad just a little while ago to go with the tamales we're having for supper. It was delicious even before the flavors had a chance to meld. I used tri-color spiral pasta and added black beans Mexi-corn cilantro chives and a can of mild green chilies. I used Pace medium salsa. I omitted the black olives because husband and son don't like them. I'm thinking next time I might add some cooked chicken to make it an entire meal.
It was wonderful! I added a can of red kidney beans and some frozen corn and used Old El Paso medium salsa.
This was so good - I put the corn and black beans in it also - AND I put cilantro. I got lots and lots of compliments.
This salad is definitely missing something. Next time I make it I will add additional spices. You could also be creative and add a lot of different veggies like green pepper black olives etc.
