Contest-Winning Picnic Pasta Salad
My family's not big on traditional pasta salads made with mayonnaise, so when I served this colorful version that uses Italian dressing, it was a big hit. This crowd-pleaser is loaded with vegetables, beans and tricolor pasta. -Felicia Fiocchi, Vineland, New Jersey
Ingredients
- 1 package (12 ounces) tricolor spiral pasta
- 1 package (10 ounces) refrigerated tricolor tortellini
- 1 jar (7-1/2 ounces) marinated artichoke hearts, undrained
- 1/2 pound fresh broccoli florets (about 1-3/4 cups)
- 12 ounces provolone cheese, cubed
- 12 ounces hard salami, cubed
- 1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
- 1 medium green pepper, chopped
- 1 can (15 ounces) garbanzo beans or chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 2 cans (2-1/4 ounces each) sliced ripe olives, drained
- 1 medium red onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 envelopes Italian salad dressing mix
Directions
- 1. Cook spiral pasta and tortellini according to package directions. Drain and rinse in cold water. Place in a large bowl; add the artichokes, broccoli, provolone cheese, salami, peppers, beans, olives, onion and garlic.
- 2. Prepare salad dressing according to package directions; pour over salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate.
Nutrition Facts
3/4 cup: 411 calories, 23g fat (8g saturated fat), 43mg cholesterol, 1156mg sodium, 33g carbohydrate (4g sugars, 4g fiber), 18g protein.
© 2019 RDA Enthusiast Brands, LLC
Reviews
Average Rating:Made this for our company open house. I omitted the olives (personal preference) and added salt/pepper. Everyone loved it.
Took second place with this dish at our community picnic
Great recipe! Perfect when you're tired of making the same old potato or macaroni salads. Lots of great flavours that mingle well. Even more delicious as leftovers the next day
This is my idea of a pasta salad! Great ingredient to pasta ratio.
LOVED this salad and it made a huge amount. Which everyone loved so they could have some the next day. Big hit at my father's 90th birthday celebration!
Delicious! Holds up really well for a picnic and everyone loved it!
I took a bowl of this to a family potluck get-together today. I made just a few changes: forgot to buy broccoli, so omitted it, added some siced green stuffed olives, used a 7-oz. box of dried tortellini, subbed green onions for the red onion, and left the garlic out. It was still very good! There is a little left over (there was a LOT of food), but it won't last long around here as my daughter and I just love this.
I have made this recipe for years, as it appeared in a Taste of Home issue previously. We love it. And it makes a large salad for a big group. In fact, I'm getting hungry for it just reading about it!
Awesome salad and a great big thanks for all that contributed optional derivatives. For those of you that are chefs by trade or are diy's , we value your input and optional suggestions. They're always welcome. As you know all families have different tastes and preferences.