Jun 01, 2010
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!
—naples34102 
