Not Your Usual Pasta Salad

Description

I created this salad because I wanted something with a little kick and a lot of texture and taste. This is a recipe you can tweak to make it your own. It keeps well in fridge and is best served cold as a side dish. You can add diced ham or even a can of chunky tuna to make a complete meal.

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

  1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; cook shell pasta at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite
  2. about 8 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water.
  3. Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat
  4. turning occasionally
  5. until evenly browned
  6. about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon slices on paper towels; crumble.
  7. Whisk creamy salad dressing
  8. vinegar
  9. Worcestershire sauce
  10. olive oil
  11. garlic
  12. Dijon mustard
  13. and oregano together in a bowl to make a creamy dressing.
  14. Mix pasta
  15. bacon
  16. red onion
  17. water chestnuts
  18. eggs
  19. green bell pepper
  20. red bell pepper
  21. celery
  22. olives
  23. Cheddar cheese
  24. and Parmesan cheese together in a large bowl. Add dressing and stir to coat. Chill in refrigerator at least 1 hour before serving.

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 1 hr 40 mins

Servings: 16

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