Tangy Catalina Pasta Salad

Excellent! I used fresh boiled/peeled shrimp and left out the tuna, and substituted a combination of rotini, penne, and gemelli pasta for the macaroni. I also left out the sweet relish because I didn't have any, and added some halved, grape tomatoes. The key is the Catalina dressing... compliments the taste of the shrimp. I cut back on the mayo, and marinated the shrimp in a red wine vinaigrette... I wanted more of a "shrimp cocktail" type flavor than creamy. Again, the Catalina was the key... very good.

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!

This was a hit to all who tried it. I made it without the shrimp but it was still loved and I will doing this from now on when I need to make a salad!

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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!

very tasty, i didn't have olives,or peppers and still very good

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.

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.

Childhood classic.

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 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.

Very good, hubby likes it better than reg. Mac salad. Didn’t use tuna just more veggies.

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