Why should mayonnaise or Italian dressing or vinaigrettes have all the fun with pasta salad?
Loosely based on my old fave retro Jardinière Salad, but without the Kraft Dinner or, in fact, the mayonnaise, this features a combination of French dressings – Catalina-style (as in the Jardinière) and creamy (y’know, the orange one?) come together with ditalini pasta, feta cheese, and a few other tasty additions to make for a fine pasta salad!
INGREDIENTS
•8 oz ditalini pasta, cooked, drained and rinsed*
•1/3 cup Catalina dressing
•1/3 cup French dressing
•1/4 cup diced red onion
•1/4 cup sliced black olives
•1/4 cup sliced peperoncini
•1/2 cup Feta cheese, crumbled
•1/4 tsp Seasoned Salt
•1/2 tsp Black pepper
•Chopped fresh parsley
*Yes! You DO rinse cooked pasta when using it in a salad.
Note: next time I make this, I plan on upping the amount of salad dressings used from 1/3 cup each to 1/2 cup each.
Stir the French dressings into the cooked, drained, and rinsed pasta in a bowl and, if possible, cover and let rest in the fridge for a few hours, or overnight. This will allow the pasta to absorb some of the excess dressing (and the flavor!).
Stir the remaining ingredients into the cooled pasta and serve.
Or…
Cover again and stash in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
Nice just as it is, but do think about increasing the amount(s) of dressings used; and feel free to add any other ingredients you especially like.