Summer Pasta Salad
This Summer Pasta Salad recipe is a perfect meal for warm weather. It's light, refreshing, and full of flavor.
This Summer Pasta Salad recipe is a perfect meal for warm weather. It's light, refreshing, and full of flavor.
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 1 (16 ounce) package penne pasta
- 1 cup distilled white vinegar
- 1 (16 ounce) bottle catalina salad dressing
- 1 cup italian-style salad dressing
- 1 cucumber, chopped
- 2 (2 ounce) cans sliced black olives
- 1 cup chopped baby carrots
- Carbohydrate 110.077240032436 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 67.5282983892526 g
- Fiber 4.98683348983152 g
- Protein 4.07531833443562 g
- Saturated Fat 10.6836330088758 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (866g)
- Sodium 3983.34999034586 mg
- Sugar 105.090406542605 g
- Trans Fat 11.0941583425024 g
- Calories 1070 calories
Step-by-step
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
- In a small saucepan, bring vinegar and sugar to a boil. Boil for one minute.
- In large bowl, combine vinegar mixture, Catalina dressing and Italian dressing. Mix well. Add pasta, cucumber, olives, tomato, onion, carrots, and bell pepper; toss. Season with celery salt, salt and pepper. Refrigerate until serving.
Catalina dressing does the structural heavy lifting in this bowl by supplying both emulsified oil and concentrated tomato paste flavor. Without it, the substantial cup of distilled white vinegar would aggressively overwhelm the vegetables. Boiling that vinegar with half a cup of sugar creates a quick sweet-and-sour syrup that tames the acid before it hits the noodles. This technique prevents the raw bite of the onion and green bell pepper from tasting overly sharp against the starches.
Testing this formulation reveals a critical pitfall. Penne pasta absorbs liquids continuously while resting in the refrigerator. After twelve hours, the noodles swell and turn soft as they soak up the dual dressings. To combat this textural decline, slightly undercook the pasta by two minutes shy of the package directions. Drain the noodles thoroughly in a colander and let them steam dry for five minutes before tossing them into the liquid mixture.
Second-day leftovers demand intentional management because the high sugar content draws moisture out of the cucumbers and tomatoes. Drain the accumulated pooling liquid from the bottom of the storage container before serving the chilled salad again. Stirring in a handful of fresh, unmarinated vegetables just prior to eating restores the necessary crunch. Store the covered bowl in the refrigerator for up to three days safely.
Vegan diners can use this base without modifications because the ingredients contain no animal products. Swapping out standard wheat penne for a chickpea or lentil alternative alters the protein profile significantly. Ensure gluten-free pasta brands are cooked firmly so they hold their shape against the heavy vinegar brine.
