This recipe is so easy to make, and always such a hit!  It is great for backyard barbecues. For best results, chill overnight.

Italian Confetti  Pasta Salad

mayonnaise

red wine vinegar

salt

black pepper

garlic,

basil

colored rotini pasta

tomatoes

yellow bell pepper

black olives

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Rinse in cold water, and drain.


In a large mixing bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, salt, black pepper, and garlic until well blended.  Mix in basil.  Add pasta, tomatoes, bell peppers, and olives; fold gently until mixed.  Chill several hours.  Stir gently before serving.


WARNING:  DO NOT USE LOW FAT MAYONNAISE.  I made it the first time with regular mayonnaise and it turned out to be the hit of the party!  I couldn't find fresh basil so I even used dried.  Then I decided to make it with low fat mayonnaise and it turned out horrible.  Great recipe...

Excellent.  This is really a full 5 star recipe.... easy, pretty, and yummy.  I followed the recipe, except I used white wine vinegar (since I was out of red).  I'm perplexed as to why some reviewers thought there was too much mayo.  I hate too much salad dressing (always order it on the side!), but this only had a light coating.  I'm wondering whether those people didn't use enough pasta. It calls for 2 cups of DRY pasta, which is actually an entire box, I believe (the box I used had 16 oz dry rotelle).  Anyway, it's the best pasta salad I've ever had!

I made this salad for a baby shower I recently had and received great reviews for it. I used bow-tie pasta and added in blanched broccoli florets, seedless cucumbers, red, yellow, and green peppers as well as fresh Roma tomatoes. For the dressing, I used 1 cup of mayonnaise but added in about 3/4-1 cup of prepared zesty Italian dressing, along with the suggested ingredients. I too was afraid of the large amount of mayonnaise. Regardless, everything tasted great and it got better each day it was left-over. I would make it again because it was pretty looking.

Great pasta salad - perfect for any BBQ! Pasta salads are so easy and no matter what you add to them as long as the veggies are fresh, you use a good quality dressing, and it's chilled - it'll be wonderful. So add what you like. This recipe is a great base. I used a whole bunch of cherry tomatoes that I cut in half and added some red and green pepper along with the rest of the ingredients. For the "dressing" I added a little dried Italian seasoning. I also topped it with some shredded Parmesan and Romano cheeses - delicious!

for all of the millions of pasta salad recipes out there, this is not one of the best. it contains a disgusting amount of mayonnaise, and tastes pretty boring and kind of gross. the best thing about it was all the pretty colors - i won't make this again.

A little variation: Add red, orange and yellow bell pepper, diced; a can of drained pineapple chunks OR a cup of small seedless red grapes, halved. This adds a little sweet touch to the savory and despite how odd it sounds, is very good. 

Black olives, sliced green olives with pimentos, diced sauteed or fresh zucchini or yellow squash... This is a versatile, easy and festive side dish for a large gathering.

This was a great recipe!!  I cooked it last night for the first time, and my best friend's husband who normally doesn't like pasta salads loved it!! I added cubes of Mozzeralla cheese to it, and my friend suggested adding boiled eggs next time as well.  I used dried basil and garlic and it was still wonderful:)

My daughter has declared this her new favorite pasta!! She ate two small bowls of it asking me to make it again tomorrow. I did half miracle whip, half mayo, since I had no olives or fresh tomatoes, I added some chopped celery, green bell pepper and a jar of diced pimentos.  Great pasta salad or as my 6yr old daughter said "mom, this is exquisite" (where does she learn her vocab?). Yes, I'll be making this recipe again!

Pretty good salad...and everyone who tried this seemed to enjoy it.  I'm not big on fresh basil so I could have done without it but the mayo/vinegar dressing was good. This did not have a lot of flavors in it. I used an orange bell pepper and added about 1/2 a jar of diced pimentos.  I think the taste of the bell pepper dominated this dish. Hubby's not a pasta salad fan and my little ones didn't even try it.  Probably won't make again unless the leftovers are to die for.  Thanks for sharing.

Very easy to make, however, I would cut the salt to 1/2teaspoon or omit it.

Great recipe. I made it for 40 people at my daughter's birthday party and got lots of requests for the recipe.  I added a tad more garlic than the recipe called for.  Bad breath but great taste!

I have been making this salad for several years now I can't believe that I have not done a review on it.  This salad is wonderful.  Great for picnics and potlucks.  I know that the dressing sounds like a lot, but don't cut back on it.  This salad really does need to sit in the fridge overnight before it is served.  The pasta absorbs a lot of the dressing and the flavors really marry when the salad is prepared and well chilled ahead of time.  Use whatever vegies you have on hand.  Seeded Roma tomatoes are great in the salad and they hold up well.  I usually double the amount of fresh basil the recipe calls for.  Always get absolute rave reviews whenever I make this salad.

This is deffinately the yummiest pasta salad I have ever made.I used 3/4 tsp dried basil.It would also be great with some red onion.Now that I have the incredible creamy dressing I can't wait to try this again with different pasta&amp;veg combinations.Perfect as is though!!Thanx for a great recipe!!

Sorry, but amazed how many great reviews this has received.   To us it is a very ordinary and commercial buffet type salad -  again sorry for the rating, but it just does not have anything that stands out - the only saver is the fresh basil.

I thought it was ok but my family didn't like it :(

Absolutely addictive. The smell was wonderful, but the taste was even better. I kept getting drawn back to tge fridge to take a few more bites.

This was delicious.. Used dreamlands pasta.. no olives, added small chunks of pepperoni.. it was kinda like a "pizza" pasta salad.. very good. thanks

Great recipe! I added chunks of pepperoni and salami to give it more of an Italian flare.

Very good pasta salad!  I used 3 cups of DRY tri-colored spiral pasta, cooked, 1c. mayo, 3/4c. zesty italian dressing, 1 1/2 tbsps. dried italian seasoning (instead of fresh basil), salt and pepper  for the dressing, I left out the tomatoes. I did about a cup of black olives, a whole large green bell pepper, a small red onion, and 2 large garlic cloves.  A 4th of July hit!!

Really good basic recipe! Couldn't give it the full 5 stars though; I followed everything the recipe said, and it just didn't taste right... So I added more minced garlic, about a tbsp of garlic salt, more pepper and sea salt, as well as about 3 tbsp of dried Italian seasoning. Then I mixed in about 1/4 cup of freshly grated Parmesan. Amazing!

This pasta salad was excellent. I followed the base of the recipe but used carrots and celery instead of tomatoes and olives. The garlic is such a great addition to this pasta salad. Even though it is raw, it is not overpowering and adds just the right amount of garlicy flavor. I made this for a cookout and got rave reviews from guests. Even a very picky eater (who never eats pasta salad) ate and enjoyed it. My husband took leftovers for lunch the next day and got many comments about how good it looked and smelled. I will definately be making this again and again!

This is truly a great recipe but I had to give it 4 stars because after seeing the recipe photos I knew there was WAY to much mayo for me so I cut it in half.  Except for this, which I suppose is a matter of personal preference, this was a real prize winner to me.  My wife hates vinegar and said she wouldn't eat this salad before I made it.  I made a double recipe to feed family coming over the next day and had to make more because my wife ate a bunch of it before it even had a chance to get in the fridge and said "you better make more of that or people are going to be disappointed".... yes, it was that good.  :)

This is excellent to throw in a cooler and take camping! I added frozen peas, cubed sharp cheddar, and 1 pkg of Hidden Valley Ranch Dry Mix. Every one loved this! I threw in 4 grilled chicken breasts, diced!  BRAVO

I LOVE this salad.  It is worth taking the time to cut up the ingredients.  Kids will only like it if they enjoy this type of food.  It is definately a hit among adults!!!  A+

My all time favorite pasta salad, make it for all my parties and its a hit.  Thanks!

Added small chopped onion, a can of tuna and  topped with grated Parmesan cheese. We thought it was very good and will make again
Thanks!

This was delicious! Didn't have fresh basil on hand so used dried and added broccoli florets too. Simple to make yet so flavorful! Can't wait to make it again!

I doubled everything except the mayo and it was perfect.

Brought to a bridal shower, and got so many compliments. I've made it a few times since then, everyone loves it!

Super tasty and very easy - definitely a great dish to make ahead of time as it gets tastier after a day of letting the flavors mix.

I made this today for my family, and we absolutely loved it!  I used a little garlic salt, and also added some fresh grated parmesan cheese at the end, and it was magnificent!  I'm actually having a bowl right now, with some shredded chicken thrown in.  Awesome pasta salad!!

Really good! Everyone liked it - definitely a great addition to a cookout spread. I added cucumber, fresh parsley, and sliced green olives. Thanks!!!

I truly love this recipe. I am not  cold pasta eater but with the zip of the red wine vinegar makes. I personally add more red wine vinegar and also add green onions and peppercinos.

My family loved this recipe.  I changed it a little.  I used 1 small cucumber diced, green pepper, 3 stalks of celery diced, and 1 can of kidney beans rinsed and drained. I also used tarragon vinegar. Before serving I sprinkled shredded cheddar on it. I did not have fresh basil so I used dried. 2 tablespoons. It was a hit.  Next I am going to leave out beans and add a can of tuna.

This was a big hit with my son's football team.  Added extra garlic and it was delicious!!!  Highly recommended....

MY 15 YR OLD PREPARED THIS DELICIOUS SALAD. SHE RECEIVED MANY COMPLIMENTS AND THERE WERE NO LEFTOVERS!

Loved this!  Not a black olive fan so I left them out, but added some red onion and also some crumbled blue cheese.

An amazing pasta salad! I still have leftovers from a get-together (because there was a LOT of food)... but it is great and I will definitely share the leftovers. I'll make this again, though I may cut back just a teensie bit on the mayo. AMAZING recipe.

This rating is based on my changes.  First off, I used a 12oz pkg of rotini (4 cups dried).  The recipe as is, would be way too creamy if used only 2 cups of dried pasta.  Other changes, used dried basil (forgot to buy fresh), omitted olives, omitted yellow pepper, used a combo of red and green ones, added in strips of salami, and diced fresh mozzarrella.  I would use this again as a base recipe.

This was delicious and I'm not a big pasta salad fan.  I would make it a day in advance to get the full flavor.  I made some changes based on our tastes - added feta, red onion, sundried tomaotes and cayenne pepper.  Omited olives.  I used a whole box of rotini, I think it's 10oz.  I had to add a bit more vinegar and garlic.  Even though I made a few substitutions, the base of the recipe was the same.  I will make this again.  This is a good make-ahead recipe to bring to a party.

Super easy and a good base... I used less mayo and more spices... Omitted olives (not a fan) but added fresh chives, cukes, salami and mozzarella.  Thanks for sharing!

A word to those using light dressing do not add the vinegar.
Those using origin mayo try adding sweet pickle juice instead of the vinegar for fresh new zesty taste.

I've made this twice. The first time was made with Miricle Whip and was way to sweet, but it was all I had at the time. Second time I made it I used plain mayo and I got so many compliments at the Baby Shower that I took it to. Plus my husband wanted me to save him some which says a lot because he does most of the cooking around here. ALWAYS USE MAYO!

My husband's favorite.  I love this recipe..I add additional black olives and chicken, because the husband likes a heartier lunch.  Some say there is too much mayo, but I find that it soaks in by the 2nd day.  This couldn't be better.

This is the best pasta salad I have ever tried!  The garlic and basil give it an incredible flavor!

This was nice,  my family loved but not really my flavours, too much mayo i thought.

Very tasty and versatile recipe.  It does dry a bit when you store it overnight, but that is typical of pasta salads and is easily remedied by adding a dab of mayo to perk it up. I make this all the time because it's so easy and flavorful. One time I didn't have basil on hand and instead subbed dried dill -- worked great and was delicious.

I chose to make this for a pot-luck for my husband's work because of the good reviews, and then really liked it and had to make some for myself!  I did like some other reviewers and only used 3/4 cup light mayo.  I made it once with red bell pepper instead of yellow.  The dressing is very good and will go well with whatever veggies you might want to use.

This is easy and very tasty. I left out the tomatoes and added diced cucumber and zuccini. I also added fresh cilantro, and I cut the mayo by 1/3 with plain, non-fat yogurt.

I used cheese tortellini instead of rotini and it turned out great. The dressing has a nice flavor to it and using fresh garden tomatoes in it is a real treat. Thanks!

I liked it and brought it to a NYE party. Unfortunately, there was plenty left over and in the trash it went. I dont know why people didnt like it more. I did use 1 cup of mayo and 1 cup zesty Italian dressing, and the next morning had to use more as it was dry. Keep searching for the perfect pasta salad.

Everybody liked it and ate it for days.  I wish it had a bit more flavor.  Maybe add the zesty dressing?

It's OK.  I don't think it's anything special.  Probably won't make it again.

I followed the recipe exactly. I was not a fan of this recipes. I guess it's taste preference but I didn't like the mayo dressing on this and I usually love mayo on food. I will be looking for an Italian dressing type past salad recipe.

This recipes was quite tasty for a nice summer dish. I actually used 1/2 regular mayonaise and 1/2 light mayonaise and it tasted great. I also forgot to buy the olives so I substituted 1/2 cup chopped onion. The second time I made it (still no olives in the house) I also added a dash of cayenne pepper which I think complemented the spiciness of the raw garlic. I will be making this again and again...

Everything was going fine UNTIL .... I added the amount of salt called for.  It was ruined and I had to start over.  In all fairness, if you don't add that much salt (maybe a pinch or so,) you might be okay.

I served this wonderful salad over lettuce for a lite summer dinner.  I used some dried basil since I didn't have fresh and omitted the black olives since my family doesn't care for them.  My husband loved it and my 4 yo had seconds which is rare.  This will be a regular on our table this summer.  Thanks for the great recipe.

This is a great recipe for a mayonaise based dressing.   I have made this salad many times to rave reviews and as far as veggies I always use what I have on hand.  Today I made it with a can of diced olives, a can of artichoke hearts, tomatoes and a cucumber.  D-lish!

I made this for a party and it was the first thing to go.  The garlic mayo mixture was so tasty.  I used light mayo without a problem.  Thanks for the recipe.

I liked the recipe, adding a few of my own things in order to make the required vegetable additions.  The only thing negative I can say is watch out for the red wine vinegar.  Mine was a little salty and I had to add some sugar to the salad to make up for it.

Easy and delicious, what more could you want? I found this to be really good as a light lunch, or double the amount to take to a luncheon, family gathering, etc. Recommended it to friends, and it remains to be tested and true.

It was good but reduce the mayo to 1/4 cup and salt to 1 tsp.  Added 1/2 cup peas and some chopped ham and 1 red onion.  Also used canned diced tomatoes to save time.  turned out great.

This was great.  I also add some kind of meat, Italian dressing, and cheese.  It is a really good base for pasta salad.  Great flavor.

I needed to bring a dish to a potluck and couldn't think of anything to make.  This was perfect and delicious (almost didn't want to share!)  I read the comments about too much mayo, and when I first mixed it together agreed; however, when you chill it, the pasta absorbs a lot.  I used Calamata Greek olives and I think the next time I make it will add pepperoni as well.  Yummy!  I also used dried basil (just halved the amount)

At first I sort of doubted this was going to be that great. I decided to make this anyway for a Mother's day gathering. Made it the night before, this salad ended up being SO tasty that we all kepts eating it and I even took it to work as lunch for 2 days straight. A large batch was gone in no time.    Adjust the tastes to your liking when it comes to salt and herbs - either way this recipe was great!

Love this pasta salad.  First time I made it I found there to be too much dressing for the amount of pasta listed in the recipe.  Now I just make make a bit more pasta to even out the pasta to dressing ratio.  

Everyone loved this when I served it at a picnic over the summer.  I didn't change anything.  This one's a keeper!  Thanks for the recipe.

Great cold salad base. I added: dry Itn. seasoning, more basil &amp; garlic, blanched sugar snap peas chopped, lots of fresh red bell pprs. mmm... we loved it.

This was a great pasta salad.  After reading other reviews, I added an extra cup of noodles and I think it turned out perfect.  Lots of compliments.

I really liked the flavor of the red wine vinegar and the basil.  I made the recipe as it was and found like many of you that it was way too much mayonnaise.  I will make it again however the next time I do I will add more pasta at least another cup to see how it goes.  I also found that there wasn't enough pasta salad to feed a family of four.  I would double the entire recipe.

This is just what I was looking for!  I didn't have tomatoes so I put what I had--pimentos and artichoke hearts.  It was a hit at my work BBQ.

Very average recipe. Added 3/4 cup mayo instead of one cup to 2 cups of pasta.

changed a couple of things because thats all I had.Green olives instead of black,white wine vinegar instead of red.I also deleted the salt completely.The 6 year old wanted it in her school lunch the next day!Everyone loved it.I doubled the recipe and the leftovers were gone the next day.An impressive salad for guests at a BBQ that is super fast to prepare.

I don't think you can give a recipe a 5-star rating when you've changed it substantially. I made this salad exactly as the recipe stated and found it not worthy of serving as is, hence my honest 2-star opinion. The garlic and basil were completely overpowered by the flavor of the mayo (used Hellman's- not some off brand). I used a 16 ozs of noodles, I'm sure that's more than two cups dry so I don't think that was the problem either. It took a lot of tweaking to get this to taste just ok. After two hours of playing with it I ended up with something that tasted more like macaroni salad than I had hoped for but at least didn't taste so strongly of mayo. I think half of the mayo should have been replaced with sour cream or yogurt but it was too late for me to do this at the point I realized the problem.

I made this for a picnic.  It was easy to make and everyone loved it.

This is the very BEST pasta salad I have ever tasted.  I have been making this recipe for over a year.  I double the recipe and bring it to every single BBQ that I am invited to and I ALWAYS get tons of complements.  You don’t need to change a thing.  I did make it with fat free mayo one time and that was gross.  I have also made it with half fat free mayo and half normal and that was pretty good.

This is excellent, our new favorite! Made it for a 4th party and everyone asked me for the recipe. I made 2 days in advance and the flavors were wonderful. I used a full 16oz. of dry colored rotini, doubled the garlic, added ½ cup green peppers and ½ cup frzn peas (thawed), and then sprinkled with shredded sharp cheddar before serving. All I have to say is yummy and thank you!

For Gluten-Free substitution: do not use quinoa pasta for cold salads... it cools very brittle. I made a pasta salad with it once and it was like eating seashells. I'm not gluten free but my mom is. Maybe rice pasta or rice noodles would work better in this case? This was a great pasta salad recipe!

This was very good.  However, I didn't have the problem with too much dressing, it was a bit dry.  We thought it could use a touch more of the red wine vinegar.  But will most definitely make it again.

This was excellent! However, it is drowning in mayonnoise - cut it to 2/3 cup or less.

Don't use less than one box of pasta.  Any kind works well.  Optional additions: celery, salami, onion.  I made so much of this pasta and my guests ate it all, neglecting other food items.  Big hit!  Easy too!

Nothing to rave about--This salad DID have too much mayo for my liking. I ended up adding Italian dressing to get a little less pasty taste. I will definitely be trying a different recipe next time.

This recipe is worth trying just for the dressing.  I was skeptical, but it really is quite good.  I prefer more veggies and fresh herbs, but the basic sauce here is perfect for adjusting to your own tastes.

This is the best, most versatile pasta salad recipe I've tasted. You can add salmon, shrimp, ham, or other meat to it, add celery, jalapenas or serranos, or other veggies. It just gets better the longer it ages. 

Really good!  I kept the dressing ingredients the same.  My fresh basil was gone, so I used dry, which was still very good.  Added cucumber, brocolli, cubed mozarella, cubed pepper salami, all in equal amounts....about 1/2 -2/3 cup.  I used light mayo without any complications, so I'm not sure what happened to other reviewers who ended up with a runny sauce.....not enough rotini maybe?

Delicious!  We had this at a tailgate party and it was a hit! Thanks!


I am not a huge pasta salad fan.  I was looking for a recipe for my nephew that was basic, but good... you know how picky kids are.  It turns out that I LOVED this recipe.  In fact everyone at the picnic did.  It was a sensation and my picky nephew who barely eats, had four servings.  

This is delicous but the amount of mayo is enough for a 16 oz box of pasta. I added pepperoni and fresh mozerella. Make sure you use fresh basil. You can grow it in the summer in a pot anywhere in the USA and/or get it at almost any grocery store.

Really great! Add some Salad Supreme and sugar and it is out of this world!

This is delicious.  From reading the reviews, I added 2 extra cups of pasta and 1/4t cayenne.  I'll be making this recipe again making the same changes.  Thanks, great submission.

This salad was MUCH better the 2nd and 3rd day.  I made a huge amount and served it the same day, I should of made it at least 1 or 2 days before (as recipe suggested)--the flavor was much better.  I loved the amount of mayo dressing on the noodles (not too much) I did double the amount of noodles as many suggested.  I also added a bit of cayenne pepper too.  I will make this again, a nice summer pasta salad.  Next time I'll try adding different veggies.

I really enjoyed this recipe with a few modifications.  I did add another cup of pasta because it was much too "saucy."  I also used 2 tsp. dried basil and an extra clove of garlic.  I could have eaten the entire bowl alone!

Very good salad. In addition to the yellow pepper, I added 1/2 cup each of green and red pepper as well. It was a hit at my daughter's birthday party, everyone loved it!

I prepared this pasta salad for a 4th of July party. It didn't go over all that well. Perhaps there was too much mayo. I would make this again but substitute the mayo dressing for an Italian dressing. The mayo hides all the colorful pasta. Sprinkling shredded cheddar cheese on top would've been a nice touch.

I made this recipe for my husband's Thanksgiving potluck at work and it was a big hit! I didn't have any peppers so I used red onions instead and also sprinkled it with parmesean cheese. I will definitely make it again. 

I made this for a bbq and everyone loved it. Will definitely make again. 


I don't know if I would make this again. The dressing was very mayo-y, not a lot of other flavors in there. 

I thought TruckerDoo was little harsh, if you don't like just say it nicely...You also can use less or add to any recipe to your liking next time around..

italian confetti pasta salad

Servings: 6

Author : Allrecipes Member

Ingredients

Instructions

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