Taste-Defying Pasta Salad
Sometimes when you mix certain ingredients together, they become better than what they taste like on their own. You know, like that saying: “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” Well that’s how I feel about the pasta salad you see above. For someone like me who hates pickles, imitation crabmeat, mayonnaise and garlic powder, I never foresaw enjoying a pasta salad that incorporated all four (and yes, this time I went with boxed pasta instead of the alternative).
My sister-in-law introduced this pasta salad to me as an accompaniment to our homemade pizzas. I went along with her plan since she seemed rather excited about it. Who was I to get in the way of a side dish? So what if I didn’t love the ingredients. But low and behold, she was right and I was wrong.
Now, I don’t like pasta salads all that much to begin with. It never appealed to me to douse my pasta in mayonnaise and mix it with random ingredients, but there’s something about this particular mixture that’s light, colorful and cohesively delicious. It’s a taste-defying pasta salad. My tastebuds, the same ones that ordinarily reject imitation crabmeat, the remote smell of a pickle or a slathering of mayonnaise, oddly enjoyed themselves.
So a major pat on the back goes out to my sister-in-law for inventing this pasta salad. Not only did she get me to eat pasta salad but after much tweaking, she came up with the perfect combination. And it couldn’t be simpler to make! I’m also submitting this entry to Presto Pasta Nights, one of our favorite blog events!
Pickle, Olive and Imitation Crabmeat Pasta Salad
Ingredients
4 6-inch logs imitation crabmeat
1 1/2 C. penne pasta
1 can black olives, sliced in rings
2-3 dill pickles (or pickles of your choice)
garlic powder
salt and pepper
2 1/2 Tbs. mayonnaise (or to taste)
Directions
Cook pasta for 10 minutes in boiling water until al dente. Drain.
Slice olives, pickles and imitation crabmeat.
Pour pasta, pickles, olives and imitation crabmeat into a mixing bowl. Drop mayonnaise into the bowl. Sprinkle garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.
More Pasta Salad Recipes:
Spinach Pasta Salad with Lemon Balsamic Dressing
Cucumber Dill Pasta Salad
Greek Pasta Salad
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Tags: imitation crab, olives, pasta salad, pasta salad recipes, pickles, presto pasta nights
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I do love it when “nose-turning-up” ingredients,make an awesome dish. Thanks for sharing with Presto Pasta Nights.
Posted by Ruth at August 15th, 2008, 6:54 ami like all those ingredients so it sounds good to me
Posted by kat at August 15th, 2008, 9:20 amWow that looks great! I am gonna make that tonight. Thanks for the idea.
Posted by Josh at August 15th, 2008, 11:31 amYummy!
Posted by Beau at August 15th, 2008, 3:04 pmhttp://xobeau.blogspot.com/
I like all of this except the olives, which taste like formaldehyde to me. I wonder if I’d like this…
Posted by Liz at August 15th, 2008, 6:55 pmGlad you liked it! I didn’t realize ahead of time that you had aversions to so many of the ingredients. Glad it worked out, anyway!
Posted by Shoshana at August 17th, 2008, 12:38 amwow that looks so good, I’ll opt out of the olives though
Posted by Bombchell - in Atlanta at August 21st, 2008, 3:51 pmAside from the New England Lobster Salad in a roll, I have used lobster with pasta as a side. I add celery as it is a flavor that is a favorite with my family. I also have available to me in New England, Casserole Elbows. They are larger than the regular elbows and are made by PrincePasta.com
These are big enough to not overwhelm the other ingredients. Oh and with the cost of lobster, one lobster with the meat from the claws and tail is sufficent for the salad. Just cut the meat up small so that everyone gets a piece.
Posted by Addie at August 24th, 2008, 5:40 am