This is a very flavorful pasta salad. The crisp cooked bacon really adds a nice flavor. I get requests for this pasta salad for every get together and cook out.
I've been making this salad for awhile and just got around to writing a review! My family LOVES this salad! Every time I make it someone asks for the recipe! I add two pkgs of the Ranch dressing mix and I add a cucumber, 1 1/2 cups peas, and a small bag of shredded carrots. When I want this to be more of a meal, I'll boil 3 chicken breasts, cube them and put them in the salad. I always let this salad sit over night or else make it in the morning. It tastes much better if you let it sit. Very yummy!
Read More Since this called for ingredients and seasonings that seemed like a great combination I was surprised when this just fell flat. I was really unimpressed. Not very flavorful at all. It wasn't all that pretty to look at either since the mayonnaise all but obscured any color. Thank goodness I had decided to cube, rather than shred the cheese, as it did add some texture and color. At this point I felt I had nothing to lose, because what I had was a pretty boring mayonnaise pasta salad, and that's what I've based my rating on - so I decided to just throw caution to the wind and have at it! First of all, I added more of pretty much everything - more bacon, more seasoning, more tomato, more olives. Still, a little too tangy and mayonnaisy tasting so I gave it a good plotch of sour cream to mellow it out - and some half and half. And some sliced green onion. And some frozen peas. And then more of the dried ranch dressing mix. I kept adding and tasting along the way (I must have used up every spoon in the drawer in the process!) until I had something pretty darned respectable, both in looks and in taste. If prepared as written, I think this would have been a forgotten dish at the dinner table. With my changes (all it basically needed was a little more of everything, plus some sour cream and chopped green onion) this is comparable to the pasta salads sold in gourmet markets!
Read MoreI've been making this salad for awhile and just got around to writing a review! My family LOVES this salad! Every time I make it someone asks for the recipe! I add two pkgs of the Ranch dressing mix and I add a cucumber, 1 1/2 cups peas, and a small bag of shredded carrots. When I want this to be more of a meal, I'll boil 3 chicken breasts, cube them and put them in the salad. I always let this salad sit over night or else make it in the morning. It tastes much better if you let it sit. Very yummy!
On step 3 I neglected to instruct to add the pasta with bacon, tomatoes, etc. then toss. My grocery store has since started carrying grape tomatoes, I use them now because the salad will stay even fresher with uncut tomatoes by adding the grape tomatoes whole IF there is any left over.
Fantastic recipe that I have been making for years, but just now reviewing.... shame on me! Few changes for personal preference and to enhance the flavor: use Hormel bacon crumbles for ease, wedge cut black olives for a flavorful bite, two cloves minced garlic and 1 tsp coarsely ground fresh cracked pepper in place of the garlic pepper, greeen and red onions and red and yellow cherry tomatoes. The trick is to use the shredded SHARP cheddar cheese. A mild or medium just doesn't hold up to the myriad of flavors in this salad. Also, since the original making of this salad, I have switched to using the buttermilk Hidden Valley dressing made from scratch. HEPFUL HINT: Garlic pepper is usually in a "grinder" and contains salt which this recipe definitely DOES NOT need as the cheese, olives, dressing and bacon have enough sodium already. Thanks for the recipe!
Since this called for ingredients and seasonings that seemed like a great combination I was surprised when this just fell flat. I was really unimpressed. Not very flavorful at all. It wasn't all that pretty to look at either since the mayonnaise all but obscured any color. Thank goodness I had decided to cube, rather than shred the cheese, as it did add some texture and color. At this point I felt I had nothing to lose, because what I had was a pretty boring mayonnaise pasta salad, and that's what I've based my rating on - so I decided to just throw caution to the wind and have at it! First of all, I added more of pretty much everything - more bacon, more seasoning, more tomato, more olives. Still, a little too tangy and mayonnaisy tasting so I gave it a good plotch of sour cream to mellow it out - and some half and half. And some sliced green onion. And some frozen peas. And then more of the dried ranch dressing mix. I kept adding and tasting along the way (I must have used up every spoon in the drawer in the process!) until I had something pretty darned respectable, both in looks and in taste. If prepared as written, I think this would have been a forgotten dish at the dinner table. With my changes (all it basically needed was a little more of everything, plus some sour cream and chopped green onion) this is comparable to the pasta salads sold in gourmet markets!
Great pasta salad! This is perfect for BBQ's! My husband loves anything with bacon and his favorite dressing is ranch so I had to make this for the last bbq of the season. Needless to say he loved it and so did our guests! I used sea shell pasta (I'm sure just about any type of tube pasta would work here). I also used 1 quart of cherry tomatoes cut in half, 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese (a whole bag) and instead of the olives I added 3 chopped green onions and 2 cups of thawed petite sweet peas. For the dressing I used 1 oz. of Hidden Valley Ranch dry mix with 1 cup of lite mayo and 1 cup of skim milk. I didn't mix that together with the pasta until 2 hours before serving so the pasta didn't soak up the dressing. Thanks for another great recipe Wilemon!
Great salad! I used the entire packet of dressing mix, a little extra garlic powder, and plain pepper instead of garlic pepper. I used half and half in place of milk, adding till it had just the right creaminess. If it gets dry in the fridge, just freshen it by stirring in a little milk and the creaminess is restored. This is delicious and has a very pretty presentation. It's perfect for potlucks. Love it! Thanks for sharing. Kaye
This was so easy and really good! I doubled the recipe for a party, so I had LOTS of salad! I took the leftovers to work and it was gone in minutes! I had several people ask for the recipe. I only made a couple of variations: I used real bacon bits instead of frying my own (for time saving purposes). I omitted the cheese and added broccolli. I also used halved grape tomatoes. You could probably do lots of variations,and it would still be really good...green olives, artichoke hearts, other veggies or cheeses...I think it's the ranch dressing mix and the bacon bits that make it unique. It also seems to taste better the next day because the flavors have blended more. So I'd reccommend making it the night before.
I LOVE this pasta salad! I'm also picky, so I leave out the tomatoes and olives and add some canned peas instead. I use one packet of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix since it's exactly 3 tablespoons as directed in the recipe and it's sooo good!
This was yummy! I changed it a bit--added cucumber, green pepper and chicken. I served this as our main dish-will definately make again. Thanks!
The best pasta salad I think I have ever had. I did omit the olives just because I don't like them. Will be making again. Thanks for the post.
AWESOME salad!!! I saved this reciepe a while ago, hoping to try it sometime this summer (this is a GREAT BBQ / picnic salad!). I am SOOOO sad that I waited to try this! I love Suddenly Salad’s bacon ranch pasta salad – and this was no exception! :) Just looking at the ing. list, I knew I was going to like this a LOT. The fact that you can alter this to suit your tastes is very handy - use low-fat / fat-free mayo or Miracle-whip, change up the pasta, make your own Ranch dressing mix (if time allows, lambchop’s mom’s no-guilt zesty ranch dressing recipe seems to be a hit on here) and/or add or remove any veggies you like (I omitted the olives because I HATE them!). This is a VERY versatile reicpe, so have fun with it! NOTE: a reg.-sized 1 oz. packet of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing / dip mix is pretty much 3 T worth. And, here are my 2 tips for the day (haha!). A) Purchase a pkg. of real bacon bits instead of frying up 10 slices of bacon. My pkg. of Hormel bacon pieces stated exactly what the equivalent of 1 slice of bacon was (1 T). I used all but 2 T in my salad & saved the rest (and some more cheese… yumm!!!) for garnish. B) If you're like me & don't know what the heck garlic pepper seasoning is, just use 1/4 t garlic powder and 1/4 t ground black pepper. Problem solved! Thanks SO much for sharing your recipe, Wilemon! Everyone at my BBQ really enjoyed this. :-)
Love this salad! I always use grape tomatoes in this. Great make-ahead side dish. Delicious!
Great hearty flavor. Not a light salad. Tastes much better than Suddenly Salad. I used half the bacon and no olives. I added frozen peas with 3 minutes left in the boiling pasta. Will use fresh, uncooked peas when in season. I also used a whole wheat blend pasta for half of the rotini which added color and flavor. Definitely a keeper and what's great is there are no trans fats like in the boxed pasta mixes.
This was just ok. My main complaint is that it was so salty!! The mix, olives, and bacon was too much I guess. I will definitely try it again, but with a few changes next time. First, I used Hidden Valley's Buttermilk Ranch dressing mix, as that's what I already had at home. Next time I'll use regular ranch mix. I will probably also cut back to two tablespoons of ranch mix. If it isn't "ranchy" enough, then I'll mix some with a little milk and add it later. It was good enough to try again, but not as tasty the first time around as I'd hoped.
Very good recipe - perfect for bringing to a potluck as other reviewers have said. The only thing I would say is, like making tuna salad, cool the noodles in the fridge for awhile before assembling the rest of it. I made mine in a hurry and rushed the cooling time, and the dressing just absorbed into the noodles. I added some milk, a lot actually, before serving and it was creamy and tasted just fine. Definitely a keeper! :-)
Very good pasta salad! Won't ever be buying a pasta salad mix again. This is a foundation salad- it's basic and you should add what you like according to your family's tastes: yellow peppers, thawed frozen peas, etc. I added a splash of lemon juice really made the salad pop. Can't go wrong with this recipe + your own common sense and sensibilities...
Great recipe and easy to tweek to accomodate whats in the pantry and refrigerator. Big hit with the family! Perfect to take along to the family picnic. If you like bacon you will love this!!!
Sorry, not a fan of this. I do not like creamy pasta salads but thought I'd give it a try because of the reviews. Made a day in advance and if you do that, you need to leave it out on the counter for quite some time and add more milk. The rotini breaks up because it's so cold and it destroyed the bacon. It wasn't cheap and can't you buy it in a box? It makes a ton as pasta salads usually do when you use a whole box of pasta to start. Won't be making again. Sorry, just not for me.
This is one of the best recipes I've tried on this site (or any site for that matter!). So easy, with so much flavor. I used 8 oz. of penne pasta, added three cubed chicken breasts, and eliminated the olives and cheese (personal preference only). I also mixed up a little extra dressing because it was too dry to begin with. AWESOME!!! My hubby and son ate it for a main meal and then came back later for a "snack." Definitely something I'll be making alot. Tip: For additional bacon flavor, I took the cooked and cubed chicken and sauteed it briefly in a little of the bacon grease before adding to the pasta. Yummmmm!!
Delicious! I didn't have garlic pepper so I just upped the garlic powder, and added some freshly ground black pepper. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly, and thought it was really good. I would say, however, that people who are crazy about olives might want to add more. This would be great for a potluck. Thank you!
I loved this recipe. I love it because it is very tasty and kid friendly which is a great accomplishment in itself. I once again like to remind people who give negative reviews is that this is a recipe. It is a science and variable. For those who want to change it up or down is a personal preference. Leave out the cheesy comments. Just say our preference was to ......and leave it.
This recipe was easy to make, and a great break from the usual mayo-n-tuna or bland Italian dressing affair! Next time I'll probably add some chopped red onion. I upped the bacon to twelve slices instead of ten (we really like our bacon around here), and did it in the microwave for the sake of ease. My brother said the only bad thing was it filled you up so quick you didn't have time to enjoy it. Guess that makes it a winner!
Loved it! Omitted olives but added chicken, grape tomatoes and a couple scallions. Great idea for kid pasta!
I have almost the exact same recipe that I created! Only I slice green olives into the salad instead of black olives. And I don't use the milk or garlic pepper. I do add some fresh ground black pepper though. Also, if you're diabetic or low-carbing it, use Dreamfield's brand pasta. It has added fiber and lower in carbs, so you can eat more of it than regular pasta.
Loved this!! Followed someone's suggestion and used 1/2 cup mayo and 1/2 cup sour cream in the dressing mixture. Also, added a couple more slices of chopped bacon and threw in some chopped cucumber and green pepper as well. Couldn't find garlic pepper, so I just used black pepper. Made it the night before serving, put it in the fridge and all the flavors were well mixed. Thanks for the recipe!
I really enjoyed this and so did my guests. I will not mix ahead again, as some reviewers recommended....even tho I knew better. The pasta sucks up the dressing and becomes dry and flavourless. I had to make another half batch to put on before serving. Delicious tho. We've grown tired of pasta and italian dressing salad. Thank you!
This is a great cold pasta salad! The used bacon bites to save time. Next time I will use real bacon, more cheese and maybe try some sunflower seeds. Mmmmm.
Better the 2nd day. I read 15 to 20 reviews before making this and the most common remarks/negatives about this salad were "bland" & "salty". Still, I was intrigued enough to try (thinking BLT, but BPT), so I thought long and hard about what changes would need to be made to address "bland" and "salty". Starting with the 2 boxes of pasta, I cooked it al dente. Drained and rinsed in cold water, then dumped in large bowl with ice and water to cool quickly. Drained on linen towel and refrigerated. Then I whisked together (double) 1 cup mayonnaise AND 1 cup sour cream, 2 pkgs ranch dressing mix, 2 cloves of minced garlic & 1 tsp fresh cracked pepper. Then I whisked in milk. I let this sit in the refrigerator for 2 hours because i know with powdered ranch dressings, if you try to eat the dressing immediately after mixing, it's gritty and very salty and bland. I fried 1.5 lbs of bacon and refrigerated. 2 hours before party time, I mixed the pasta with the sauce, then I crumbled the bacon adding it with the black olives, unsliced,whole grape tomatoes and sharp cheddar cheese. I have to say, I was surprised how bland the salad was. However, people really enjoyed it. In the meantime, while everyone ate, bite after bite I tried to figure out what I could have done differently. The answer came the day after the party upon eating a bowl of leftovers. Surprise! It was full of flavor! I was afraid to make this the day before worrying the bacon would be soggy and salad too dry, but it wasn't
Such a great salad! I followed the recipe very closely. However I added some crushed red pepper and onion. It has such great flavor, I could eat all of it to myself! I saw a review that said she sometimes adds chopped up chicken breast, that sounds even better! Or maybe shrimp.......
Great starter recipe! Loved the flavor!!! I didn't change anything, I just added veggies to it. I added frozen peas and chopped up carrots. I boiled those together for about 3 minutes just to get them tender and then added chopped up broccoli and cauliflower. So yummy! Definitley my go to salad from now on.
I made this salad to take as a side dish to the event. I kept a bit extra for myself and WOW! It was so delicious. I did have to add some extra milk after it sat to make it creamier. In addition, I used some small cheese chunks instead of shredded cheese. Definately something I will make again and again, especially for pot lucks, etc.
I rate the recipe 4 stars, but here's what I do to bring it up to a 5 (many dozens of potluckers agree): *Paul Newman's Ranch dressing right out of the bottle. I don't have to mess with ratios of milk/mayo/sour cream/etc., and it is one of the few Ranch products that doesn't contain MSG. *1 to 2 cups of chopped baby spinach. Sturdy flavorful leaf that doesn't wilt over time. *Real Bacon bits, 10 - 20 T, add to taste. Not enough bacon may be one reason a few feel this recipe is bland. *1 T minced garlic instead of powder. *1/2 to 1 whole bunch of diced (I use scissors) scallions. *1/2 c sun dried tomatoes (purchased dry, soaked in hot water for 5 min. before dicing). *1/2 to 1 pint grape (or cherry) tomatoes sliced in half or thirds hold up better than a chopped whole tom *for extra zing add 1 2.25 oz can of diced chili peppers or 1/4 cup of diced banana peppers. * I find stirring all "dry" ingredients together first before adding ranch dressing makes mixing easier.
A hearty pasta salad. Made the bacon nice and crispy and added at the last minute so it retained it's crunch. Also added sliced celery for another bit of crispness. I also used the whole packet of dressing. I'll be making this for a family get together soon and the only thing I will change is to use buttermilk instead of milk and leaving out the garlic pepper , going with just plain pepper. It passed the husband test so the recipe deserves 5 stars!
Excellent - even my kids loved it! I admit that I did use 1/2 cup mayo and 1/2 cup of sour cream, and I didn't have any tri-color rotini, so I just used regular. I also added more cheese.
excellent! I made a few minor changes~I left out the cheese and olives, and added frozen peas and green onion, I also left out the milk. I plan to serve this over a bed of lettuce to make it a "blt" salad. I also think this would be good with chicken in place of the bacon. Thank you for a great recipe!
This was an easy,yummy recipe. I don't eat olives so I left them out, and I don't know what garlic pepper is so I also left that out. I peeled and chopped half of a huge cumumber and added it to the recipe and I also shredded about 1 1/4 cup of carrot and added it. It came out really good. I will make it again.
This was good, but not substantially better than the supermarket brand (also bacon & ranch) that you boil and add mayo to.
It was pretty good. I added chopped green onions, fresh parsley and diced red bell pepper. Also added some cayenne for a little kick. Would almost give this 5 stars, but I found the dressing to be a little too salty with all the bacon and the cheese. And also needed a bit more dressing as this dried out a bit once it sat in the fridge. I will try this again though, I like the idea and these are some of my favourite flavours! Who doesn't like bacon, cheese and ranch together? Thanks!
A favorite at our house. I don't particularily care for Ranch dressing--and I even really liked this recipe. I used Bacon bits since I had no bacon on hand--yum
Really great, but I too made a few additions. I added cucumbers, artichoke hearts, celery and 1/2 a sweet red pepper. (I couldn't find tri-colored pasta at my store, so added color with these additions!) I had Maple Bacon on hand so I used that. To make it more figure friendly, I used Hellman's Low-Fat Mayo, Kraft Fat Free Ranch Dressing (I didn't have the dry mix!), some fat free sour cream and Almond Breeze Almond milk. Really turned out GREAT!! This is the MOST I've gotten my boyfriend to eat his vegetables!! (Photo 27!!)
I basically followed the recipe except for using cherry tomatoes so the salad wouldn't become liquidy and I also followed one reviewer's idea of keeping the dressing out until almost serving time so the pasta wouldn't soak up the dressing and become chewy and dry. Thanks for this recipe. I now make it all the time!
Kudos to you!! I have never made pasta salad before (40 something..) and I got raves from the family members, I am now making it for Thanksgiving!! thanks soo much
Very good! I made this to take to a luncheon at church.The chopped fresh veggies in with the pasta definitely enhanced the taste and I love the color they added to the dish.I made packaged Hidden Valley dressing mix and it was great. Will definitely keep this recipe to use again.
I used this recipe as a base, making several changes to accommodate the picky eaters of my household (which is everyone including me). I left out the tomatoes and the black olives, used 8 ounces of pasta instead of 12, used 1 packet of Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch dry mix, and subbed the sharp cheddar for a mix of finely shredded mozzarella and provolone. Everything else I followed the recipe on and I think it came out quite delicious. I was worried about it lacking flavor, but the ranch and the bacon really came through after letting this sit for the recommended amount of time in the fridge. Overall, this is a great base that's very easy to season up however you like.
Really good! I'm not a fan of tomatoes or black olives so I replaced them with sweet red peppers and peas. The colors worked out great. Will make again for sure.
Very good but instead of 1 whole cup of mayo I used half a cup of mayo and half a cup of sour cream! Super yummy!
Oh My! This is delicious! This is right up our alley! As far as the grape tomatoes, they will work for now until my garden comes in this summer and with my overabundance of "tommy toes" each year this will be a breeze! (no pun intended!) Thank you.
Wonderful recipe! My family who doesn't normally like cold salads, loved it. VERY easy to make. This is definitely a keeper.
I was going to take this to a pot luck at work but instead I called in sick because it came out so bad. I followed the recipe exactly minus the olives.
Less than impressed. Based on the reviews, I was expecting something tasty and easy to make. While this salad is definitely easy to make, the end flavor was somewhat bland. Everything blended together and tasted the same. There were no standout flavors. My husband liked it but I made it for a BBQ and it was not a major hit. I will not be making this again.
I made this for 50 folks at my grand son's 2nd birthday party. Amazing basic recipe. I love it as is, but I add so much more..chopped celery, carrot, broccoli and peas. I buy the Costco bag of 100% real bacon peices and load it up. I use the tricolor "wacky mac" pasta and the different shapes help to make it a fun looking dish too. I use 1 1/2 C Kraft Olive Oil Mayo, (1/2 the calories and a lot healthier,) and 1 1/2 packages of the Ranch dressing mix. Get creative with this one. It is made weekly during the summer in my home.
This tasted a bit too 'boxed' pasta salad too me. I have to agree with mama_amy .... the sauce was a bit overwhelming to me as well. I think cutting back a bit on the mayo and the ranch a tad might make a big difference. I was struggling over if this was a 3 or 4 star rating so I will give it 4 stars.
This tasted a bit too 'boxed' pasta salad too me. I have to agree with mama_amy .... the sauce was a bit overwhelming to me as well. I think cutting back a bit on the mayo and the ranch a tad might make a big difference. I was struggling over if this was a 3 or 4 star rating so I will give it 4 stars.
Turned out great. I doubled the recipe for a family get together. Instead of tomatoes and olives I put in chopped broccoli and it was perfect for those of us that are picky.
This is a great base recipe and tastes exactly like Suddenly Salad with fresh tomato (can't say I agree with others that it is better than it with recipe as written). I do not like black olives so I left those out. I added in crab meat as well as half of a yellow and half of a green bell pepper. This is definitely delicious but I do not know that I would make it again. With the addition of tomato, bell peppers, and crab meat, Suddenly Salad would taste just as delicious and take less time and ingredients.
This was edible, but nothing awesome. The dressing was a little weird, probably because of the Ranch dressing packet. We liked the ingredients, but I will probably try a different dressing.
soooooo delicious! I made half of it without the tomato and olives (because my husband hates them). They were both so delicious! I like it better with the tomato and olives though.
Loved this receipe and like others just used Hormel bacon bits, everyone loved it and it is so easy to customize to your own tastes.
Great salad! I had many comments of "this is the best salad I have ever had"! I did not make it exactly as written. I was trying to find a salad recipe that I could use up some of my veggies. So I used the ranch, milk, cheese, mayo, and tomatoes. I skipped the bacon only because I didn't want to fry some up (next time I will surely add it but probably in the form of bacon bits). I used carrots, celery, red pepper and green pepper. A noodle is a noodle so I used a macaroni noodle instead of sprial!
We have really enjoyed this salad. And what's funny is that I really don't like ranch dressing on a tossed salad, but this works well with the pasta. I've made it 5 or 6 times. I did change a few things though. I use the dry ranch dressing from our local natural food store--it is not as salty to me. Also, I did not use tomato because 1) I don't like a salad the next day that has tomato in it--too mushy for me and 2) I was on dialysis and was very limited on tomato products. So, I used a jar of roasted red peppers in place of the tomato. I also added about 5 or 6 chopped green onions. Finally, for any salad that I use mayo I use a combo of mayo and fat free plain greek yogurt of low fat sour cream. This has become a real favorite in our home. Thank you sharing the recipe!
I used my own homemade dry ranch dressing mix that I mixed with a third of lowfat mayonnaise, fat free plain yogurt and reduced fat sour cream. To get more vegetables in, I threw in more chopped tomato, diced red pepper and chopped cucumbers. We all thought this was quite good. My husband thinks that this would be even better tomorrow.
This pasta salad was a big hit with my family. My 24-year-old son came in today looking for (actually, hoping for) leftovers, but there wasn't one single bite that hadn't been eaten the night before. My husband, son, son-in-law, and daughter have all asked that I prepare it again - the sooner the better!
This pasta salad is delicious and easy to make. It is so much better than the pasta salads from the deli! I did add 2 extra pieces of bacon....
really good. i changed this recipe alot so i almost didnt review it but thought i should share the bacon/mayo/ranch/ seasoning are all the right ratios. didnt use shredded cheese but coarse chopped some block cheddar and i added tomatoes and onions cause i had some to use up. i used pencil point pasta ( again some i had to use up) it came out really nice and creamy and better than expected as i was looking forward to using another kind of dressing only to discover someone used the last of what i had. i will totally make this again.
It's okay, but nothing noteworthy. The spices, especially the garlic, is overpowering, and I agree that chunk cheddar should be substituted for shredded. Also, the tomato really brings this dish down because of the acidity. Instead, add peas or corn to still get a vegetable in there, but not as much acid.
I was very disappointed in this recipe. The predominate flavor was salt. I followed the recipe as written. I used Oscar Mayer bacon and Hidden Valley Original Ranch dressing mix. It was served at a cookout and no one had more than one helping. I'm not sure how I would have altered the recipe to our taste, except to maybe use low sodium bacon. I won't try this recipe again.
Great flavor! I left out the black olives because my husband doesn't like them - but, it was still very good! Didn't change anything else in the recipe.
i must have done something wrong because I really did not like this pasta salad. the rest of the guests ate it but no one mentioned it specifically. maybe i did something wrong! not a huge ranch fan, that may have been it. dont try this if you dont LOVE ranch.
This blows the box salad out of the water! I've made it for potlucks and added diced chicken and artichoke hearts and served it as a meal for my family! Fantastic recipe!
OH my goodness, this has all the wonderfully addictive flavors of the 'Suddenly Salad' line, but without all the processed badness! Fantastic recipe, can't wait to make it again!
I tried making a low cal version of this recipe and it was a GREAT hit! Instead of using a cup of Mayo, I used a little over 3/4 cup of plain yogurt and two big spoonfulls of lite mayo. I also used turkey bacon bits and added peas, broccoli and olives. It was a smash and is now my party staple!
This is a very good recipe. I used low sodium bacon, fat-free mayo, 1% milk, and Santa Sweets grape tomatoes and chunked them up with Fat-free Cheese..I made Scotdog's Dry Buttermilk Ranch mix for this recipe....Other then making the recipe lightly healthier...I followed it to a T. With that in mind, my family thought it was good. A couple didn't like the tomatoes in it....while everyone else said it was good. Thanks
iNSTEAD OF MILK i USED CHICKEN BROTH AND IT WAS WONDERFUL. lOVE THE PASTA SALAD.
Mmm. So good. I added a little extra bacon and some green onions. It was gone in no time.
very good recipe, it was exactly what i was hoping for. Very good flavors. Brought it to a campfire bbq on the beach. Everyone commented on how good it was.
This was good and everyone at the bbq seemed to like it! I made a few changes. Instead of a full cup of mayo, I used a 1/2 cup mayo and a 1/2 cup of sour cream. I cubed the sharp cheddar instead of shreading it. I used half and half instead of milk and just eyed it. I used already cooked bacon, although I think the bacon would have been a lot better if it was crunchy. I used chopped olives instead of sliced. I added some red and yellow peppers and the crunchiness was great. I added 3 green onions. I used 3 roma tomatoes. I made this first thing in the morning and served it around 3:00 in the afternoon. I would make it again. :-)
I really liked this salad. Lots of flavor! I did not add garlic pepper(did not have on hand and cant say i've ever heard of it)nor did I add the olives as my family doesnt care much for them. Will make many times over!
Great! Instead of tomatoes I added cucumbers and salami. Other than that followed recipe exactly! Good side dish for football game days.
We made this to bring along for our Thanksgiving meal and both sides of the family loved it. Made the recipe as written and the only change I think I would make next time is more olives...everytime someone walked past the bowl, they'd pick out an olive slice! Wonderful recipe, will surely be made again
This was a very simple pasta salad to make. I used halved grape tomatoes instead of a regular tomato. I omitted the olives and the cheese.
Sorry, this recipe is not a keeper. I tried it and it failed miserably. Better luck next time.
Very tasty. Made with chicken instead of bacon, because I didn't have any. Roommate said it was too good to be called a pasta salad. (He doesn't like pasta salads.)
This salad didn't take much time to prepare and turned out way better than I was expecting. My only regret is having it sit in my recipe box for about a year before trying it.
This is really good. Even my snooty sister loved it. Everyone asked for the recipe. The only change I made was using Gemelli pasta instead of tri-color. You won't go wrong making this!
This is a delicious pasta salad. I must say that I had to change it up a bit because I was making it for my daughter's birthday party and she does not like tomatoes or black olives so I had to leave those out. I used the entire packet of ranch dressing mix and used cubed cheese. I understand why this dish is requested often because my family asked me to make it again the next time we get together.
..We really liked this. I used brown rice veggie swirl pasta and McCormick Buttermilk Ranch dressing mix. Just seasoned with garlic powder and pepper. I agree with IMVINTAGE in that it reminds me of Suddenly salad...only better. Thanks Wilemon!
Very good, the ranch flavor was mild which was just what I was looking for. I also added broccoli like some other reviewers. Will definitely make again!
Tasty! Tasty! Tasty! I omitted the garlic powder and garlic pepper, and added half of a chopped green pepper. I also used one cup of Oscar Mayer Real Bacon Bits, in place of the real bacon. Which is rare for me because I have an aversion to chemicals in my food. But I figured what the heck, I'm using a Ranch dressing packet. It was a processed food love fest for my tummy! I would definitely recommend this for the occasional picnic or cookout.
I've made this twice so far. Once for a company picnic and once for a baby shower. Both times everyone raved over the dish and demanded the recipe. It was one of the most talked about dishes even though it was among a vast buffet. I highly recommend.
Not crazy about this at all. The ranch was too powerful (I would have halved it) and cut down on the dressing to 3/4 c., if not half a cup. The entire salad seemed to be too busy, it's not necessarily alot of ingredients, but the combination is too jarring. I won't be making this again.
