a delightful pumpkin muffin alternative that doesn’t skimp on taste or moistness. Enjoy!
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 20 mins |
| Additional Time: | 1 hr |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 40 mins |
| Servings: | 16 |
| Yield: | 16 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 (16 ounce) package seashell pasta
- 8 slices bacon
- 1 cup creamy salad dressing (such as Miracle Whip®)
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 red onion, finely diced
- 1 (8 ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, rinsed and drained
- 4 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
- ½ green bell pepper, diced
- ½ red bell pepper, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- ½ cup sliced black olives
- ½ cup diced sharp Cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; cook shell pasta at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water.
- Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon slices on paper towels; crumble.
- Whisk creamy salad dressing, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, garlic, Dijon mustard, and oregano together in a bowl to make a creamy dressing.
- Mix pasta, bacon, red onion, water chestnuts, eggs, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, celery, olives, Cheddar cheese, and Parmesan cheese together in a large bowl. Add dressing and stir to coat. Chill in refrigerator at least 1 hour before serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 247 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 27 g |
| Cholesterol | 68 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Protein | 9 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3 g |
| Sodium | 381 mg |
| Sugars | 4 g |
| Fat | 12 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
This did not agree with me. I made it a couple hours in advance so the flavors could blend, but the end result was bland.
Used different shape pasta and add ins. Kept the dressing the same, it was really good.
This is a nice variation from oil and vinegar pasta salad. And as another reviewer stated- the name is what initially had me taking a second look at this recipe. You can vary the ingredients and make it taste more like potato salad or keep it as is. Either way this is a tasty recipe that I will be making over and over again. Very well received by a pack of hungry teenagers at our last bonfire and bbq.
I was looking for a pasta salad recipe to go with burgers for dinner but I didn’t want the usual mayonnaise-y kind. I was a little hesitant after looking at the ingredients, because a few ingredients I have never seen in a pasta salad, but wow! This is delicious! This will be my new go-to recipe for pasta salad. The only thing I omitted were water chestnuts (my husband hates them) and olives (I hate them). Thank you so much for sharing!
I made this at the last minute on the fly and it was very tasty. I had to leave out olives and bell peppers since I didn’t have them available but it was still delicious. I love the vinegar taste it has, but I will personally not use quite as much. Will absolutely make again
made it tonight was really good loved the dressing
Will make it again , very good . Followed the recipe . Next time I’ll make it two days ahead .
Will make it again , very good . Followed the recipe . Next time I’ll make it two days ahead .
I made this for my family over the 4th of July. It went over really well and I had two guests ask for the recipe. I did cut the vinegar in half (per other review) and just used all red pepper instead of green pepper. It really was amazing and I will be making this one again!
i really liked this pasta salad, especially the dressing. it had good depth of flavor. for us, it had a bit too much vinegar, hence the 4 stars. i had even redued the amount i used from the recipe amount but it was still too much. otherwise i will be making this again!
My crew and I really like this version but I did need to make another 1/2 recipe of the dressing. I generally make this type of salad a day in advance to let the flavors meld a bit more and it just gets too dry without the additional dressing. I also added about a 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper to give it an extra kick that we like. Definitely enjoy this flavorful creamy dressing more than the standard V&O based standard for pasta salad.
This was ok, but I found it a bit on the dry side and lacking in flavor. After making it as directed, letting it sit in the fridge for a few hours and sampling, I adding in about another 2/3 cup Miracle Whip, 1/4 cup white wine vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon of Lawry’s Seasoned Salt. Everyone liked it, but I didn’t get any big raves. I love all the hard ingredients, but I’m just so-so about the sauce.
Very good!
I just made this tonight. It’s a great change. I made it just as recipe stated but since daughter is a vegetarian left out bacon and topped with some tuna. I will keep this recipe! Bacon would be delicious though!
Pretty tasty! The add-in’s are great. I’d 1/2-2/3 the red onion. Do not use mayonnaise – use Miracle Whip!! It’s sweetness counters the vinegar. It’s needed.
Delicious!
I have to admit, this recipe’s title is what initially stirred my interest. Then, I continued to be intriguing when I discovered it indeed WASN’T some variation of an italian dressing pasta salad. I realized I had a little less than a cup of light mayo left, so mine wasn’t as dressed as it should be. Per personal taste, I subbed yellow mustard for Dijon and left out the celery and black olives, while I added some carrot. I belatedly realized I’d left out the eggs, but next time (and yes, there WILL be a next time) I’ll use pickled eggs! Oh yeah, I’m also lazy, so I subbed “real bacon bits” for bacon. THANK YOU for a great *different* pasta salad, KB COUNTRYGIRL! EDIT: I made this again and added chopped pickled eggs and that was a nice *pop*, both in flavor and color. I also made using green onions, as opposed to red, since I was making it for a crowd ad green tend to be a bit milder and I really missed the crunch, and bite, of the red onion.
Thanks for this kicked up pasta salad! I created the dressing as you suggested but changed the other ingredients to my taste. I used onion, cucumber, egg, medium cheddar, and imitation crab. I also added a little bit of old bay and cracked pepper. I think this would taste great with shrimp too!