If you've never tried Catalina Pasta Salad, you're in for a treat. Today we are sharing this spaghetti pasta salad recipe with Catalina dressing. It's a delicious and original recipe that can be used as an easy side dish for any summer BBQ or Potluck. With a super quick cook time you'll have a fresh pasta salad on your table in no time!
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Why This Recipe Works
- Tastes Great: Not only is this Catalina dressing pasta easy to make, but it's also packed with vegetables and bursting with flavor.
- Good Side: The sweet and tangy dressing pairs perfectly with Crunchy Vegetables and spaghetti noodles. It's a great side dish or main dish the whole family will love.
📋 Ingredients
Here are the ingredients for this Catalina dressing pasta salad:
- Spaghetti: The base of the salad, it provides a satisfying, chewy texture.
- Cucumber: Adds a crisp, refreshing element to the salad.
- Carrots: Contribute a sweet crunch and vibrant color.
- Roma Tomato: Offers a juicy, tangy flavor that complements the other ingredients.
- Celery: Provides a crunchy texture and a slightly salty, savory flavor.
- Yellow or Green Pepper: Adds a sweet and slightly tangy flavor along with a pop of color.
- Catalina Dressing: Gives the salad its unique, tangy-sweet flavor profile. This dressing ties all the ingredients together.
For the complete list of ingredients with measurements and instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
🔀 Substitutions & Variations
This Catalina pasta salad is very versatile and open for customization.
- Feel free to add in some sliced black olives, diced red onion, or even grilled chicken for added protein.
- Add in any other vegetables that you love as well, like broccoli or green bell pepper.
- You can also add olives, hardboiled eggs and cheese mixed into your salad for even more flavor. The options are endless!
🔪How to Make Pasta Salad With Catalina Dressing?
- Step 1: Cook the spaghetti in a large pot according to package directions and bring to a boil. Cooking time is around 8-10 minutes until the pasta is al dente. Next, drain the boiling water, rinse with cold water, and let cool. Place in a large mixing bowl whilst you prepare the vegetables.
Step Two: Peel and chop the cucumber into small pieces.
Step Three: Wash and prep the remaining veggies.
Step Four: In the large bowl, combine the cooked spaghetti, carrots, tomatoes, celery, and bell pepper.
Step Five: Drizzle the bottle of Catalina dressing over all the ingredients. Use a tong to mix everything together until well combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve and enjoy.
🔪How to Make Catalina Dressing?
In a blender or food processor mix all the ingredients together until smooth. You can store your Catalina sauce in a container in the fridge for up to 1 week and add it to all your favorite recipes or salads.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
- Dress Just Before Serving: To maintain the crispness of the salad ingredients, it's best to dress the salad just before serving. Keep the lvegetables and pasta separate from the Catalina dressing until you're ready to eat. This prevents the salad from becoming soggy, ensuring a refreshing and crunchy texture.
- Drizzle The Sauce: Follow the recipe instructions and drizzle the dressing evenly over the salad rather than pouring it all at once, allowing you to control the amount and preventing overdressing.
💭 FAQs
Catalina dressing is a sweet and tangy dressing made with tomato puree, vinegar, onion, garlic, spices, and sugar. It’s most commonly used for salads or as a chicken marinade.
Catalina dressing has a sweet and tangy flavor with hints of tomato, onion, and garlic.
Yes, feel free to substitute any type of pasta that you prefer. Other great options would be macaroni, penne or rotini pasta.
Some great options for cheese to add into this Catalina pasta salad would be mozzarella, cheddar, or feta. Or, if you want a unique twist, try adding in some crumbled blue cheese.
Leftover Catalina pasta salad can be eaten on the same day or it may be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Just give it a good stir before serving again. It's also great as leftover cold lunches!
Serving Suggestions
This Catalina dressing pasta salad is delicious served as a side dish at barbecues or potlucks. It also makes for a tasty cold lunch option. You can also serve it as a main dish by adding in some Grilled Chicken or Shrimp to make it more filling and substantial. Serve with some crusty bread on the side for a complete meal.
You could also serve your cold pasta salad with the following:
- Chili Mac Pasta: Hearty pasta combined with savory chili, creating a comforting and flavorful fusion dish.
- Instant Pot Ribs: Tender, fall-off-the-bone ribs cooked to perfection in the Instant Pot, offering a deliciously satisfying meaty indulgence.
- Asian Pork Belly: Succulent slices of pork belly glazed with Asian-inspired flavors, providing a delightful blend of sweet and savory notes.
- Steak Skewers: Juicy steak bites threaded on skewers, grilled to perfection for a mouthwatering and satisfying protein-packed option.
- Crusted Chicken: Chicken breasts with a crispy and seasoned crust, delivering a satisfying crunch with every bite.
It has become increasingly popular to serve Catalina salad with hardboiled eggs, this not only adds protein to the salad but it also allows you to enjoy a meat-free salad option. Simply dice up some Boiled Eggs and combine them with your pasta.
🍜 Related Recipes
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Best Catalina Pasta Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 16 0z Spaghetti
- 1 Cucumber peeled and cut into quarters
- ½ cup Diced Carrots
- 1 Roma Tomato chopped
- 1 Stalk Celery diced
- 1 Yellow Bell Pepper or green pepper diced
Homemade Catalina Dressing Ingredients (Optional)
- ¾ Cup Tomato Puree
- 12 Cup White Vinegar
- 1 ½ Cup Small Onions chopped
- ¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon sUGAR
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Paprika
Instructions
- Cook the spaghetti in a large pot according to package directions and bring to boil.
Cooking time is around 8-10 minutes until the pasta is al dente.
Next drain the boiling water, rinse with cold water, and let cool.- Place in a large mixing bowl whilst you prepare the vegetables.
- Wash and prep all of the veggies.
- In the large bowl combine the cooked spaghetti, carrots, tomatoes, celery, and bell pepper.
- Drizzle the bottle of Catalina dressing over all the ingredients.
- Use a tong to mix everything together until well combined.
- In a blender or food processor mix all the ingredients together until smooth.
- You can store your Catalina sauce in a container in the fridge for up to 1 week and add it to all your favorite recipes or salads
Nutrition
Check Out These Simple Tasty Options
- Chili Mac Pasta: Slow cooker chili mac pasta is a big winner in our home.
- Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs: Tasty and delicious perfect with pasta.
- Air Fryer Chicken Breast: A great side for Catalina Pasta Salad.
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