# I need pasta salad help



## steff bugielski (Nov 10, 2003)

I have made countless pasta salads and none ever have any real taste.
What am I missing?
Typically pasta bowties
Mayo, sweet pickle relish, salt, pepper, red peppers, onion, carrots.
Always bland.


----------



## bajiay (Apr 8, 2008)

The recipe that I use is from allrecipes.com and we love it. It's Classic Macaroni Salad and it also has white vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt, and pepper in it. I think those things make a difference as far as the dressing is concerned. I like that site also because you can plug in how many people you are cooking for and it will figure up the ingredients. Hope this helps!


----------



## cvk (Oct 30, 2006)

Mayo is bland. Just switching to Miracle Whip or the equivalent will probably do the trick if you aren't comfortable with adding vinegar and sugar etc. I always use Miracle Whip instead of Mayo for pasta salads and for potato salad. Alot more flavor.


----------



## DWH Farm (Sep 1, 2010)

Maybe try ranch dressing instead of mayo? I do bowties, tomatoes, onions, bacon and ranch and everyone loves it.. If I want to mix it up a bit I substitute cucumbers for the bacon and italian instead of ranch.

I also am trying out a recipe this weekend (from Pioneer Woman) that uses mayo but has vinegar and adobo sauce added to the mayo.


----------



## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

steff bugielski said:


> I have made countless pasta salads and none ever have any real taste.
> What am I missing?
> Typically pasta bowties
> Mayo, sweet pickle relish, salt, pepper, red peppers, onion, carrots.
> Always bland.


wheres the mustard?

Another tip, I never use mayo, I go with salad dressing and sour cream in about a two to one ratio. It really kicks things up a notch


----------



## RedDirt Cowgirl (Sep 21, 2010)

Don't forget the capers! Slivered Kalamata olives too.


----------



## steff bugielski (Nov 10, 2003)

OK I now am armed with a few options.
I do not like miracle whip but the ranch and or sour cream sounds good.


----------



## kabri (May 14, 2002)

I make mine with Paul Newman's olive oil and vinegar salad dressing. No extra seasoning needed, just pasta, veggies, black olives, shredded parm cheese and sometimes sliced salami


----------



## springvalley (Jun 23, 2009)

One salad we like is spiral noodles, cut up fresh tomato`s, little olive oil, few sweet onions, bacon bits, and a dash of Italian seasoning. Then top that with parmasain cheese or proviloan cheese. This is real tasty and great when it is to hot to cook a big meal. > Thanks Marc


----------



## Murray in ME (May 10, 2002)

Try adding some acid. A bit of acidity will brighten all the other flavors. Vinegar or lemon juice both work great. Different vinegars will add different flavors to the dish. My favorite vinegars for things like pasta salad are sherry vineger and balsamic vinegar. Even dill pickle juice will work.

I always add some Dijon mustard to pasta salads. Pretty much any salad or dressing actually. The mustard will not only add its own flavor to the dish, it will enhance the flavors of the other ingredients because of the salt and acid in the mustard.

Any number of other things can be added to increase flavor. Garlic, herbs, spices, hot sauce, ect. I almost always add garlic and either scallions or chives. A little smoked paprika adds a nice flavor.

I'd start with adding acid and mustard. They should make a big difference. Maybe a little more salt. Salt is another thing that enhances the flavors of everything else in a dish.


----------



## Fowler (Jul 8, 2008)

Miracle whip....makes all the difference.

Large elbow mac
dice bel pepper
dice green onions
dice zesty bread and butter pickles
dice eggs

no salt, no mustard no added flavors...the miracle whip does miracles


----------



## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

try adding some diced celery and a little dill relish (about 1 part to 3 parts of the sweet relish)... and sliced/minced olives whatever color you prefer or capers. A hard salty or pungent cheese also does wonders.

I found with pasta salad you either need 1) acid, 2) salt, or 3) heat (peppers, mustard, horseradish) to keep it from being bland and mealy.

One of our favorite cold pasta salads is Asian inspired, basically rice noodles with spicy dipping sauce and whatever veg we have on hand. Yum!


----------



## MO_cows (Aug 14, 2010)

A vinagrette instead of the mayo will add more flavor. One salad my family likes is with ranch dressing.

Shell pasta, cooked
fresh peas or frozen peas thawed
chopped hard boiled eggs
sliced black olives
scallions or diced onion
other options are shredded carrots, cheese, whatever your family likes, 
put on ranch salad dressing, toss and let stand a couple hours in the frig.

With bowties, we like:
artichoke hearts
chopped bell peppers, multi colors makes it prettier
sliced black olives
sliced fresh mushrooms
diced onions
cherry tomatoes or diced tomatoes
tossed with a balsamic vinagrette.

I think the typical "macaroni salad" with a little pickle relish and mayo in it IS bland.


----------



## Mountain Mick (Sep 10, 2005)

Add Curry powder, that my secret. MM


----------



## steff bugielski (Nov 10, 2003)

Good thing I have 40 lbs of pasta on hand, I will be trying all ideas over the summer.


----------



## newbie (May 27, 2011)

I add a little bit of dill to all my cold salads. It gives it a nice flavor without overpowering it.


----------



## cvk (Oct 30, 2006)

Time---yup, a little time added to the recipe will also do wonders. Everything from pasta salad, potato salad or even coleslaw tastes better after it has set for awhile and lets the flavors soak into everything.


----------



## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

Small elbow macaroni boiled with salt, Miracle Whip, Mrs.Dash, diced tomato, green, yellow, orange bell pepper and onion or celery....James


----------



## springvalley (Jun 23, 2009)

cvk said:


> Time---yup, a little time added to the recipe will also do wonders. Everything from pasta salad, potato salad or even coleslaw tastes better after it has set for awhile and lets the flavors soak into everything.


OHHHHHHHHH how true this is, most every type of salad is better the next day, my dear sweet Mom made the best tater salad and she would never serve it the day it was made, always made us wait for it. That was like having a pie in the fridge and saying "No you can`t have it" such torture. Hehe> Thanks Marc


----------



## lonelytree (Feb 28, 2008)

IMO - Salads with mayo based dressings benefit greatly by adding hard boiled eggs, fresh ground pepper and celery.


----------



## Rusty'sDog (Oct 14, 2010)

A little bit of horseradish will add zip to any mayo recipe.


----------



## sewserious (Apr 2, 2010)

Macaroni, cooked of course; not too soft to be mushy but still a bit firm
Radishes, carrots, onion, celery. Add miracle whip (it is a salad dressing after all and has more flavor for using on cold salads than mayo) and then sprinkle generously with celery seed. The celery seed adds some zing.

I make my potato salad the same way almost except leave out radishes and add chopped boiled eggs. Use yellow mustard and miracle whip, not mayo, and add the celery seed. Good eating!


----------



## bknthesdle (Mar 27, 2011)

I like to add a dash or two of red wine vinegar. I also make my dressing separately then pour over my pasta and let it sit in the frig for a while.

My pasta salad includes; bowtie noodles, carrots, celery, pickles, black olives, green onions, hard boiled eggs, & cheese. (sometimes chopped ham)

My sauce includes; mayo, mustard, onion salt, garlic powder, parsley, salt, pepper & a dash or two of red wine vinegar


----------



## Ohio Rusty (Jan 18, 2008)

It's not really what you put into them, it's what you pour over them. Exclusively, I use two jars of marinated artichoke hearts cut up ... hearts and marinated juice go over the pasta salad, but the big winner is I use Good Seasons zesty italian salad dressing mix over the pasta salad. - That is the kind you mix up yourself and it comes with it's own mixing carafe. I usually use two carafe's of the salad dressing mix. One the night before .... then another one before I serve it. The first one gets sucked up into the pasta, the second bottle poured over top helps add more flavor to the pasta salad and it isn't dry. This recipe almost guarantees I never get to bring any home. Everyone eats it up it is so good.
Ohio Rusty ><>


----------



## linn (Jul 19, 2005)

I think you are right Rusty, it is the seasoning and the dressing that makes a pasta salad for me.


----------



## marinemomtatt (Oct 8, 2006)

I LOVE pasta salad, doesn't matter what's in there as long as there isn't any meat, or Miracle Whip (shudder), or okra (double shudder), or pickle (lets make that a triple shudder). Other than that I'm not very picky....~lol~...
Lately we've been using mustard seeds 'toasted' in Olive oil and both added to pasta salad, gives dimension.

My husband makes a killer potato salad, it took me 15 years to duplicate it, now when I make it I make it 'mine' with the addition of Cayenne, that way everyone knows who made the salad. (Our sons still say DH's is best because its his grandmother's recipe)


----------



## stamphappy (Jul 29, 2010)

springvalley said:


> One salad we like is spiral noodles, cut up fresh tomato`s, little olive oil, few sweet onions, bacon bits, and a dash of Italian seasoning. Then top that with parmasain cheese or proviloan cheese. This is real tasty and great when it is to hot to cook a big meal. > Thanks Marc


Marc, we just made that last night to go with crawdad po'boys! Our recipe is very similiar to yours but I also use sun dried tomatoes, garbanzos, black olives, and artichokes. We're having it again tonight as our sidedish to go with grilled chicken. 

Also, I always make a huge batch because it's so good for lunch with some tuna or chicken thrown in.


----------

