Looking for the perfect pasta salad? Dive into a bowl of this tantalizing shrimp pasta salad! This combination of succulent shrimp, al dente pasta, and veggies will transport your taste buds straight to flavor paradise. With a zesty dressing that brings it all together, this shrimp pasta salad is perfect for picnics, potlucks, or simply satisfying your cravings.
We love shrimp, so I’m always looking for a new favorite way to use it. Some of our other favorites are these Cajun Shrimp, this Baked Shrimp, or these Grilled Lemon Shrimp.
We are heading into the season of parties and bbqs and potlucks. And for some reason, I always get caught up trying to decide what to bring to share.
If you are the same, you don’t need to look any further.
This Shrimp Pasta Salad is not only really easy to make, but it just may be one of my favorite pasta salads.
And one thing I love the most about it is that it is best when it is made in advance. There’s nothing like having to rush to make a salad before a potluck. But this one can be made the night before, so it is a stress reliever, as well!
Ingredients
- Pasta: I like to use macaroni for this salad, but you can really use any short cut pasta.
- Mayonnaise and Sour Cream: I love a good salad with mayonnaise, but I have actually found that my favorite combination is equal parts mayonnaise and sour cream. I usually use full fat for both, but low fat would work in this salad.
- Lemon Juice: Fresh lemon juice will make a huge difference, so skip the bottled juice.
- Seasoning: I like to use old bay seasoning, salt, and pepper. Keeping it simple!
- Shrimp: You can use precooked shrimp, or raw shrimp that you cook before adding to the salad. I usually use a medium to large shrimp, and I’ll cut each shrimp into 3 pieces. If you can find salad shrimp, they are great because they are small so you won’t have to cut the shrimp.
- Peas: I use frozen peas. No need to thaw them before adding them because the salad needs to be refrigerated, and the peas will slowly defrost in the refrigerator. If you aren’t refrigerating the salad before serving it, you’ll want to thaw the peas first.
- Green Onions: I like that you get onion flavor with green onions, but it’s not overpowering. But you can always use a sweet onion or red onion if that’s what you prefer.
- Dill: My husband and I both agree that the dill is what really makes this pasta salad special. If you can, fresh dill is definitely superior. But if all you have is dried, you’ll want to cut the amount back to 2 teaspoons.
How to Make Shrimp Pasta Salad
1: Cook the pasta until al dente, then drain it and rinse it in cold water.
2: Make the dressing by whisking together the mayo, sour cream, lemon juice, old bay, salt. and pepper.
3: To the dressing, add the cooked pasta, the shrimp, peas, and dill.
4: Stir it all together to coat, and then cover and refrigerate.
Tips and Tricks
When you first make this salad, it may seem like too much dressing. But the dressing will soak into the pasta a bit when it spends some time in the refrigerator and ends up perfect.
You can add in extra veggies, like celery or bell pepper.
This salad needs to be refrigerated. If you are serving it as part of a potluck or bbq, you can keep it out at room temperature for about 30 minutes, or make an ice “nest” for the salad bowl to sit in so that it stays cold.
I like to refrigerate this shrimp pasta salad overnight, but you can make it in as little as 2 hours ahead of time. It can technically be served right after you make it, but the flavor improves over time.
More Pasta Salads
Bow Tie Pasta Salad
Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
Oriental Pasta Salad
Caesar Salad with Pasta
Artichoke Pasta Salad
Shrimp Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 8 oz uncooked macaroni pasta
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Pepper to taste
- 1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 cup chopped green onions
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt generously. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water, then set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, old bay seasoning, salt, and pepper. Add the cooked pasta, the shrimp, the peas, the green onions, and the dill. Stir to combine.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
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