Reviews & Comments

Huge hit at yesterday's BBQ, happy I doubled it! Best part was making it the night before, one less thing I had to deal with the day of the party. Cooked the pasta very "al dente" so it wouldn't get too mushy while the flavors combined overnight. It needs to chill more than two hours or you are missing the point of this salad. I used both dried basil and oregano as well as Hunt's Basil, Garlic, & Oregano sauce. Other reviewer suggested sea salt on the pasta before dressing so I tried it. Because I doubled the serving, I used the entire bottle of cheap zesty Italian dressing, that little bit more was tasty. Adding the crunch of green pepper seemed so necessary that I added a little red bell pepper as well. Left the skins on the cucumbers and used half the olives called for. Sliced the mushrooms so they were easy for the picky to pick out but still got to contribute. Roma tomatoes hold their shape well in this salad. So tasty, so easy!

I am not a pasta salad fan, but I love this recipe. It is quick and easy and always a party favorite. The recipe makes a large batch so I don't make it often... too much for a family of 3.

I wanted a salad that could sit out and people wouldn't worry about how long it was in the sun. I found this one and had to try it. 2 picnics later, there was barely enough to take home from each batch. I made some variations to it, from the other review some thought it was bland, I used Hunt's Garlic & Herb spaghetti sauce, left out the mushrooms (don't like them) and added red peppers additional garlic and italian seasonings. Never used fresh basil before, I should have added more, it was a bonus to taste it in the salad. It's a colorful salad, for more color, you could leave the skins on the cukes or add green pepper. I will make this again!

Everyone loved this! The tomato sauce with the dressing is just a different touch that set this apart. I did use the zesty italian dressing, left out the mushrooms, and added broccoli. Very yummy! Made a great lunch by itself the next day too.