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French Dressing Pasta Salad

French dressing pasta salad with a sweet-tangy Catalina-style coating, plenty of crisp vegetables, and smoky salami strips. Chilled to let the pasta absorb the dressing for a retro potluck pasta salad texture.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chilling 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

French dressing pasta salad base
  • 1 lb rotini pasta
  • 4 oz salami
  • 1 green bell pepper
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 0.5 red onion
  • 1 cup black olives
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes
  • 1 can (16 oz) French or Catalina dressing
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 0.5 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 fresh parsley for garnish

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Cook and cool the pasta
  1. Cook the rotini pasta to al dente in boiling water, then drain and rinse cold. Spread it on a sheet pan to cool completely so it doesn’t clump.
Mix the salad
  1. Combine the cooled pasta with the salami strips, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, red onion, black olives, and cherry tomatoes. Toss to distribute everything evenly through the pasta.
Season the dressing
  1. Whisk the French or Catalina dressing with Italian seasoning and garlic powder until smooth. Stir in thoroughly so the seasoning is evenly suspended.
Coat and chill
  1. Pour the seasoned dressing over the pasta salad and toss to coat well. Use a folding motion until the pasta looks glossy and evenly covered.
  2. Refrigerate the pasta salad for at least 1 hour. Chill until the pasta absorbs the dressing and the flavors taste set.
Finish and serve
  1. Toss again right before serving and add more dressing if needed. Garnish with fresh parsley for a bright finish.

Notes

For best texture, cool the pasta completely before mixing so it can absorb dressing without turning mushy. Refrigerate covered up to 4 days; it’s not ideal for freezing because the vegetables and pasta texture change. For a lower-sodium swap, choose a reduced-sodium Catalina/French dressing and use the same seasoning amounts.