Crunchy fresh veggies, canned tuna and shrimp, and tangy pasta salad with Catalina dressing.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 15 mins |
| Total Time: | 30 mins |
| Servings: | 8 |
Ingredients
- 1 (16 ounce) package elbow macaroni
- 1 (6 ounce) can small shrimp, drained
- 1 (5 ounce) can tuna, drained and flaked
- 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
- ¾ cup chopped celery
- ¼ cup chopped onion
- 4 tablespoons Catalina salad dressing
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise, or to taste
- 1 ½ tablespoons sweet pickle relish
- 1 pinch garlic salt
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes; drain. Run pasta under cold water to chill, then drain again.
- Transfer pasta to a large bowl. Add shrimp, onions, bell pepper, celery, onion, Catalina dressing, mayonnaise, relish, and garlic salt; mix until well combined.
- Substitute your favorite vegetables if desired. You can increase or decrease the quantity used based on your preferences.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 331 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 47 g |
| Cholesterol | 43 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Protein | 17 g |
| Saturated Fat | 1 g |
| Sodium | 230 mg |
| Sugars | 5 g |
| Fat | 8 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I loved it but doubled the sauce because I used Rotini 1-lb box . I like more sauce . Added shedded carrots no meats . Sprinkled with more garlic salt . Winner !
As well as making this dish I often make a sauce of the last four ingredients as a dip for fish sticks and French fries. It would most likely be good on a burger also.
Ok needs miracle whip no Mayo
Childhood classic.
Very good, hubby likes it better than reg. Mac salad. Didn’t use tuna just more veggies.
Pink color puts most of the family off. I have made it twice. I like it a lot but have trouble getting anyone else to eat it.
I have made this several times, however, with a few minor changes. I am not a fan of tuna so I removed this completely from the recipe. I also did not use shrimp but used chicken instead as I really love chicken salad. This was a nice spin on one of my favorite dishes. I also added bacon bits to add additional spin. I now make this all the time.
Yes, I made half the recipe without the shrimps. I added 1/4 cup shredded baby carrots, assorted bell peppers, garlic powder, a little seasoned salt and paprika. It was so good! I will try it again with the shrimps and maybe some slice black olives. Oh yes, this dish will become one of my favorite recipes.
I made this two nights ago to go with Big Smokey Burgers from this site. I used tri-colored rotini, and I also had to double ingredients. I used all tuna, and when done it tasted like it came from a bottle, a can, and a jar. So to give it a more “fresh” taste, I added chopped fresh dill and lemon juice and salt (cringe, but it needed it). I think next time I will use fresh shrimp and these modifications. There is maybe 1 serving left in the fridge and only 3 of us so I guess we did like it.
I tried the recipe as shown, I was not a huge fan for the tuna in it. So the next time I made it I used imitation crab and salad shrimp, also uses small shells. I thought the imitation crab made it a better taste. I will make this again many times in the future since it is easy to make and well liked
I used medium frozen shrimp, no tuna, and 1/2 box Barilla Plus multi-grain penne pasta. I added sliced green onions instead of regular, 2 stalks diced celery, and 1/4 cup diced red pepper. I used 3 Tbsp. light mayonnaise and only 1 Tbsp. Catalina dressing. To remedy the blandness I added a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes, Old Bay seasoning (to taste), freshly ground black pepper, and the juice of 1/2 lemon. It was delicious!
A good, different kind of macaroni salad. It has sort of a thousand island taste with the dressing that you make. I did not add the shrimp as I don’t care for it. This does have good flavor and I will make it again. Great salad to pack in lunches. Thanks Marbalet.
I was hoping for a better tasting salad. I believe the catalina gave it a little to much sweetness, and I kept thinking that there was something missing, however I could never put my finger on it. My daughter suggested making it again but using only the shrimp, so I may try that and cutting down on the catalina, but if that doesn’t work, I won’t try it again.
Sorry, but this was a disappointment. I was excited when reading the ingredients because I love shrimp and Catalina dressing. Thought it would be a great combination. But I made the salad according to the recipe and it could not have been more bland. I won’t even try to adjust the ingredients like many of the other reviewers did.
We really enjoyed this recipe. I used only tuna in mine, and also used extra dressing as suggested. Also I am a salt and pepper person so of course I had to add those too. It was a recipe I would make again.
O my gosh this is so good. I used Western French Dressing and for seasoning Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt. This is indeed a nice change from a plain tuna pasta salad. Will make again
This just wasn’t for me. I didn’t care for the tuna and shrimp together. I do agree, though, that doubling the dressing helped.
After making only half the recipe, which I frequently do to see if I am going to like it, I determined it needed more dressing, I would say twice as much. That made it tastier. The dressing is similar in taste to a tangy thousand island. My husband really liked this and I did too. Macaroni really dilutes or absorbs a lot, so I would double the amount of dressing if you want more flavor. Someone mentioned canned shrimp tasting funny. I have read you should soak them in ice water, then drain well.
Very nice change of pace from the usual pasta salad! I thawed some frozen salad shrimp & used those instead of canned & I opened up my last jar of Texas Christmas Pickles (from this site)& gave them a chop & used that instead of the sweet pickle relish. The pickles are sweet & spicy & they worked perfectly. I also used fresh garlic instead of salt. Who knew that catalina dressing, mayo (I used lite) & sweet pickle relish would make such a tasty dressing for pasta?
Good, but I wish I had used fresh shrimp instead of the canned – I’ve never used them before, and I thought they tasted a bit strange. Really liked the Catalina salad dressing, though. I would make this again. Thanks, Holly!
very tasty, i didn’t have olives,or peppers and still very good