Reviewed: Jul. 11, 2009

Made this for our barbecue and it was a hit with my family and guests

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sigmasuperstar

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Reviewed: Jun. 9, 2009

I don't understand the 4 1/2 star rating for this recipe. I made for a get-together over the weekend and not much got eaten. I thought it was too oily (guess I should've added the oil gradually) but at the same time, dry. Too much pepperoni, in my opinion, and I didn't even use as much as called for. Actually, too much mozzarella also. All of this could be easily fixed if I made it again, but it just didn't impress me enough to try. Sorry.

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Janett

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Tappahannock, Virginia, USA

Living In: Mechanicsville, Maryland, USA

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Reviewed: May 22, 2009

Kudos Helene! This is one of the best pasta salad receipe around. I added grape tomatoes and Wishbone Zesty Italian dressing instead of olive oil, Italian dressing, etc. I made enough for 15 people and I thought I would come home from a BBQ with plenty left over but it the salad was devoured.

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M. Cropper

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Reviewed: May 21, 2009

I'm sorry to say this, but... not good. Have you ever eaten a bowl of something, waiting for it to be really good, and it never gets there? That was this for me. It had a pretty look with all of the colors, but the taste was not good. Too much twang from the oil/vinegar mixture, too much of a bite from the raw red onions, and just no flavor. I picked-out the noodles to eat them alone or with the mozzarella. I took it to a picnic tonight... no one said 'yum'. And it took waaay longer than 15 minutes to make, what with all of that chopping, so it was really disappointing to spend all of that time right before the event and then to have it be not-so-good. I'm sorry to be harsh.... It was just really missing a 'yummy' factor. Sorry.

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Midwest Mom

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Reviewed: May 20, 2009

Yum! I omitted the pepperoni and added in artichokes and extra garlic! To make it wetter, I put in some of the olive juice and artichoke juice. Light and delish!

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culturecooker

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, USA

Living In: Kihei, Hawaii, USA

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Reviewed: May 3, 2009

I finally found a perfect pasta salad. I dislike the ones where it calls for a bottle of Italian dressing because it's so overpowering and I am not a fan of it to begin with. This was so light and refreshing and you could actually taste all the ingredients. Great recipe that will be a staple from now on.

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sanzoe

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Minnetonka, Minnesota, USA

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Reviewed: Apr. 28, 2009

used what I had on hand - small pasta, only added brocolli, pepperoni, minced garlic, shredded cheese, mrs. dash salad supreme seasonings and balsamic vinaigrette to taste. Refrigerated overnight. Delicious!!

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CPA

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Naperville, Illinois, USA

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Reviewed: Oct. 19, 2008

Yummy! I left out the pepperoni as I'm a vegetarian, and used pepper jack cheese instead of mozzarella to still have a bit of a kick.

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mamaflee

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Reviewed: Oct. 6, 2008

Skipped the pepperoni, used feta instead of mozzarella, and used a combo of red wine and balsamic vinegar. Great flavor, my guests all loved it.

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SweetBasil

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Reviewed: Jun. 3, 2008

Excellent -- got even better with time. Perfect ratio of oil/vinegar for pasta/veggies. Subbed fresh parm for the mozz, used 2 tsp garlic powder for the minced, used 1 tsp each salt, pepper, onion powder, 2 tsp Italian seasoning, 1/2 tsp each dried basil and dill

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SWEETTART2

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Reviewed: May 21, 2008

I loved this salad. The dressing was the perfect flavor. I've tried to make similar salads using italian salad dressing but this was so much better. We only made a few changes...no olives, substituted salami for the pepperoni, reduced the cheese to 4 oz and used shredded cheddar since that's what we had.

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Kalex

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Lake Oswego, Oregon, USA

Living In: Portland, Oregon, USA

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Reviewed: May 12, 2008

I love this recipe, esp since we all have oil and vinegar on hand. I also added diced up Salami. I like to get it sliced extra thick from the deli and dice it at home. Same with the pepperoni. It gives it a great meaty taste that my husband loves!

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TiffanyB

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Durham, North Carolina, USA

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Reviewed: Jun. 29, 2007

Delicious! We made a few changes --Farfalle pasta, white balsamic vinegar mixed with a combination of basil & sundried tomato olive oil and regular extra virgin olive oil, left out the cauliflower, but added grape tomatoes (uncut)and shredded parmesan cheese. I also blanched the broccoli. I whisked the oil, vinegar, garlic and seasonings together, then added the dressing to the rest of the ingredients while the pasta chilled... and finally added the pasta. Since we're serving it tomorrow, we taste-tested tonight and this pasta salad received rave reviews from my husband!

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NonnaLisa

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Reviewed: Jan. 28, 2007

Instead of using red wine vinegar and seasoning, I just used my favorite red wine vinagrette and it was perfect. No additional seasoning needed. It got rave reviews and I was asked to bring it again!

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A. Swigart

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Reviewed: Sep. 26, 2006

Very good Helene! I blanched my vegies for about thirty seconds to bring out the bright color of the broc. Added more seasonings and used a mix of feta, cheddar and jack cheeses. A hit, to say the least and I thank you!

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LINDA MCLEAN

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Livingston, New Jersey, USA

Living In: Flanders, New Jersey, USA

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Reviewed: Jul. 24, 2006

Absolutely delicious! I broke my cauli and broc into very small pieces, and I used quite a lot less vinegar. Husband couldn't get enough. Thanks so much, Helene!

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Caroline C

Cooking Level: Expert

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Reviewed: Jun. 9, 2006

I took this dish to a cookout and got some postive feedback although I thought the pasta sauce needed some oomph. Maybe a cream-based sauce with some zesty spices and freshly ground pepper would be a welcome addition.

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ShirleyFF

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Thomasville, North Carolina, USA

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Reviewed: Jun. 8, 2006

Not bad...I agree with others though that it's a little bland. It seems like a healthy lunch to take with you to work, though. Maybe I'll try other reviewers' suggestions and try feta or parmesan cheese next time.

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Noa

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

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Reviewed: Jun. 2, 2006

My husband and I enjoyed this recipe a lot. I followed one reviewer's suggestion and used more olive oil than red wine vinegar. The taste was very satisfactory, however, I still like my mom's pasta salad the best.

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ABALONE25

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Kidron, Ohio, USA

Living In: Massillon, Ohio, USA

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Reviewed: May 31, 2006

This was very good, but we added some zesty italian dressing to it. I also used cheddar, and colby jack cheese instead of mozzarella. I made it the night before so everything could marinate.

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