Shrimp Pasta Salad is a quintessential side dish served cold or hot with a zesty and juicy dressing. This great dish is made in just minutes and has an incredibly refreshing and satisfying taste.

I adore any pasta salad, be it either with meat, fish, or shrimp, this great meal is all you need on easy weeknight dinner. Made with healthy ingredients, this pasta salad is perfect for parties, potlucks or ordinary evenings. I adore the balance between shrimp, pasta and one of the best home-made dressings. Ready in just minutes, this great salad makes one of the best antipasto style cold meals. For this recipe, pasta shouldn’t be served hot, on the contrary, the cold pasta, or pasta made ahead a day before, will be combined more perfectly with all the fresh ingredients.

Loads of flavors that are added to this appetizing shrimp pasta salad will make a great side dish for your next cookout. Also, it is a refreshing make-ahead lunch option and one of my favorites for years. I adore celery in many salads, but combined with shrimp and pasta and tossed with one of the best dressings is really something that you scream for. Definitely, for this salad, I have made my home-made mayo that is so simple to make and much more healthy than a bought one. It is a healthy and creamy pasta salad made of simple fresh ingredients but intensely flavor-packed.

What I love most about this salad is that it mixes two of my favorite ingredients: pasta and shrimp. There are no words to describe how I love these foods combined together, and nothing beats the trick like adding some more small baby shrimp to this recipe. I try to add as much as I can to this pasta salad.

For this versatile shrimp pasta salad, you can add any veggies you like to be more nutritious and low in calories. It is an easy make-ahead dish, especially when you are partying tonight.

Also for note: boiled pasta with shrimp and some veggies look okay, but the secret here lies in the best dressing that richly and intensely unifies all the ingredients to make a fresh and crunchy shrimp pasta salad. Sometimes when we make some potlucks with friends, pasta salads are one of the dishes I always bring to impress my friends.

Make your weeknight be inspiring, look colorful and healthy with easy to make meals.

How to make shrimp pasta salad?

My slogan in life is to always cook a tasty and quick dish. Simple ingredients can make a meal out of this world. So, this is why today I want to show you an easy, but creamy, and hearty shrimp pasta salad recipe.

First of all: if you out of the time you can boil pasta a day ahead and just prepare the shrimps and mix the ingredients together. However, my husband adores freshly cooked meals so this is the point where I have to prepare a fresh dish but easy and quick.

So, while my pasta is boiling in salted water (I always try to boil pasta al dente) I fry my baby pink shrimp. I defrost 1 pack of shrimp in the morning and lay them in a colander to leave out all the water to avoid the smoke while frying in the pan.

So, while the pasta is boiling, I fry the shrimp about 2-3 minutes. If you want a more pronounced aroma just add a glass of white wine and season with salt, pepper, and some cayenne. It is optional, but worth the taste.

When the shrimp are done, leave them in the pan to settle a little and to infuse all the aromas, meanwhile, on a cutting board, I cut the fresh veggies. For this recipe, I have used half of the white onion, 2 stalks of celery, 2 red peppers, 2 tsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice and some seasoning.

When all the ingredients are done, I add them to a big bowl and gently toss with the best ever dressing.

For the dressing, as I have mentioned above, I use my home-made mayo. A simple dressing will light up this classic and delicious pasta shrimp recipe. In case I don’t have some mayo in my fridge, as it is good only 2-3 days, I make it promptly as it is done in just 2 minutes. Check my recipe here. Also, I add some fresh chopped dill to this dressing.

Unify all the ingredients with the dressing, let it cool down for a few minutes and serve immediately.

An ultimate and a tasty shrimp pasta salad is ready in just minutes. It is a simple cold dish made of tender veggies, aromatic shrimps, and best quality macaroni. This is a tasty and super-healthy salad.

What dressing to serve?

A classic Italian dressing made of olive oil and Balsamic vinegar goes perfect for this salad. But for today’s recipe, I wanted it more special, more creamy, and juice so I opted for my home-made mayo. In my homemade mayonnaise, I added some freshly chopped dill, 2 tsp of freshly squeezed lemon to make it fresher and lighter. I like the taste of the mustard, so this is why I choose this kind of dressing for this best shrimp pasta salad.

However, this versatile pasta salad can be coated with any dressing you love.

Shrimp pasta salad tips:

I have used frozen baby shrimps, but you can choose fresh, shelled or canned ones.
Pasta shapes are variable as well as colored ones, but definitely not spaghetti.
Veggies: here you can add and mix any fresh vegetables you like. Cucumbers, tomatoes, or zucchini can flavor-up this great pasta salad.
You can make it with some bacon or other kinds of meat if you don’t like it vegan.
Dressing here is also optional – you can make it just with some olive oil or more flavorful with mayo, or simply add some teaspoons of mustard.

This best shrimp pasta salad is really appetizing, creamy, and healthy made of one of the best dressings that make this salad taste as good as it is. Enjoy it.