One of my biggest summer goals each year is to dine outside as frequently as possible, and this Shrimp Pasta Salad is my faithful sidekick. It’s healthy, comes together in minutes, has a creamy Greek yogurt dressing, and is packed with colorful veggies.
This summer shrimp pasta salad is a lighter spin on the Southern shrimp pasta salad that I remember making frequent appearances at our church potlucks and family reunions growing up.
- Like the original recipe, it has a creamy dressing, baby salad shrimp, and is simple to prepare.
- The flavors aren’t too strong, so it pleases a variety of palates.
- It’s easy to make ahead and highly portable.
All of the above are ideal qualities when you’re brainstorming a side dish to bring to a potluck or BBQ.
It’s also well-rounded enough to serve as a standalone meal (just like Crab Salad and Tuna Pasta Salad).
5 Star Review
“This is a delicious, easy recipe. So refreshing. This will be my new go-to salad at parties and picnics. Try it. You will love it.”
— Patti —
How to Make Shrimp Pasta Salad
With uncomplicated ingredients and simple prep, this shrimp pasta salad is and should be a laid-back affair.
It’s one of those magical potluck dishes that tastes better an hour or two after you’ve prepared it, meaning you can make it ahead of time and know you have a delicious dish ready to go.
The Ingredients
- Pasta. Instead of white pasta, use whole wheat! Whole grains = more fiber, protein, and nutrients. I bet no one will even notice the swap.
- Shrimp. One of my favorite seafood additions to pasta salad. It’s easy, tasty, and nutritious. Shrimp is rich in protein, calcium, and potassium. Using precooked shrimp cuts down on the prep time too.
- Fresh Veggies. I loaded the shrimp pasta salad with peas, red bell pepper, and celery, with a sprinkle of green onion for punch. They make the pasta salad crunchy, colorful, and nutritious.
- Greek Yogurt. Typically southern shrimp pasta salad is made with mayo (or in a pinch, bottled Italian salad dressing). I ditched both in favor of protein-rich Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt ensures this is still a creamy shrimp pasta salad, but it’s healthier and adds a bit of tang.
- Lemon. It lightens and brightens. For an even more pronounced lemon shrimp pasta salad, try adding lemon zest too.
- Dijon Mustard + White Vinegar. The combination of these two with the lemon juice gives the pasta salad dressing complexity and zip. I realize it might seem a bit high-maintenance to call for all three, but I promise you won’t regret it.
- Honey. To keep the dressing in balance.
- Cayenne. To keep us on our toes. Don’t worry, the dressing is not spicy; the cayenne is ultra subtle and simply provides a more well-rounded taste.
- Fresh Dill. It makes every bite sing with summer!
The Directions
- Cook pasta, then drain and rinse it with cold water. Whisk the dressing ingredients together.
- Place the salad ingredients in a large serving bowl. Add the pasta and dressing. Stir to combine.
- Chill the salad for 1 hour. ENJOY!
Storage Tips
- To Store. Shrimp pasta salad will last in the fridge for up to 4 days. Stir to recombine and top with a bit of additional lemon juice and pinch of salt to wake up the leftovers. You can serve this recipe directly from the fridge as a chilled shrimp pasta salad or let it come closer to room temperature.
- To Freeze. Shrimp pasta salad cannot be frozen, as it will turn very mushy once thawed.
Meal Prep Tip
Up to 1 day in advance, chop the celery, bell pepper, green onion, and dill.
What to Serve with Shrimp Pasta Salad
The best side dish for pasta salad is whatever you most enjoy! Try it with BBQ, burgers, or a green salad.
- Ribs. Crockpot Ribs or Instant Pot Ribs would be tasty (don’t miss my homemade Barbecue Sauce).
- Chicken. Crockpot BBQ Chicken and this pasta salad are a perfect match.
- Burgers. This salad would be delicious with an Avocado Burger, Green Chile Grilled Chicken Burgers, or a Vegan Burger. For the shrimp lovers, pair this salad with a Shrimp Burger.
- Salad. Pair this pasta salad with a green salad like Arugula Salad or Spinach Strawberry Salad. Creamy Cucumber Salad would also be wonderful.
Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe
- Mixing Bowls. The large bowl is perfect for making pasta salad recipes.
- Colander. I love how this one collapses for easy storage.
- Citrus Juicer. Juicing lemons is easy with this tool.
If you try this shrimp pasta salad recipe for your next gathering, picnics, or for a fast, healthy meal, I’d love to hear what you think. Please let me know how the recipe turned out in the comments section below!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. While I’m all for time savings when you can, for pasta salad you should rinse noodles in cold water immediately after cooking them. Cold water stops the cooking and removes some of the starch so the noodles don’t clump together.
No, you can make this recipe with any type of shrimp you enjoy. If you’re using larger shrimp, I recommend it being peeled, deveined, cooked, and roughly chopped before adding it to the salad. You could also experiment by adding chopped shrimp with Grilled Shrimp Seasoning or Air Fryer Shrimp.
There are two main things to keep in mind when preparing and storing pasta salad. First, make sure to cook your pasta according to the package directions. While most times we want al dente pasta (like for this Garlic Shrimp Pasta), you’ll actually want to cook it slightly longer for pasta salad so that it doesn’t get hard in the refrigerator. Second, make sure you either cover the bowl very tightly with plastic wrap or transfer the leftovers to an airtight storage container.
If you’d like to experiment with another type of seafood, you certainly can. Pasta salad with shrimp and crab meat would be tasty. I think adding Smoked Salmon would be delightful too.
Shrimp Pasta Salad
Ingredients
For the Shrimp and Pasta:
- 8 ounces uncooked whole wheat elbow macaroni or similar small pasta, such as mini shells (about 2 cups uncooked macaroni)
- 1 pound frozen salad shrimp thawed and patted dry, or use roughly chopped peeled and deveined cooked shrimp
- 1 cup diced celery about 2 stalks
- 1 red bell pepper cored and cut into a 1/4-inch dice
- 1 cup frozen peas thawed
- 2 green onions finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
For the Dressing:
- 2/3 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice from about 1/2 lemon
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus additional to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper plus additional to taste
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Cook the pasta to al dente according to the package instructions. Drain in a colander, then rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Shake off as much water as possible. Let the colander with the pasta sit in the sink or on a towel to continue draining while you prepare the rest of the salad.
- In a small bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the dressing ingredients: Greek yogurt, lemon juice, honey, white vinegar, Dijon, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
- In a large serving bowl, place the shrimp, celery, bell pepper, peas, green onion, and dill. Shake the pasta once more, then add it to the bowl. Drizzle with the dressing and stir gently to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning as desired.
- If time allows, place the pasta in the refrigerator and chill for 1 hour prior to serving. Enjoy directly from the fridge or at room temperature.
Notes
- TO STORE: Refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days. Stir to recombine and top with a bit of additional lemon juice and pinch of salt to wake up the leftovers.
- TO MAKE GLUTEN FREE: Use gluten-free pasta noodles (be VERY careful not to overcook them, and drain them immediately).
Nutrition
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Do you think fresh lime juice would work?
Hi Leslie! So glad to hear you enjoyed my BLT salad! While I have not tried this swap, I think you could experiment with it. However, lime juice is more acidic than lemon juice, so you may want to add a little less than the recipe calls for.
PS. I have limes because I made your BLT salad for a party and it was amazing!
My boyfriend can’t have shrimp. Do you think this would work with cooked cubed salmon?
Hi Sandy! While I haven’t tried this variation, I think you could experiment with it. Let me know how it turns out if you give it a try!
Looks delicious! Not a fan of the actual bell pepper in my food, though I do enjoy the hint of the pepper flavor. Go figure! LOL
Is there a good way to achieve this without actually adding the bell pepper to the dish?
Hi Ray! There isn’t that I know of. You could try using a very small amount. Otherwise, you can certainly swap in a different veggie you prefer more. Grated carrots would be good here!
Looks so delicious. I have two Bar-B-Ques coming up soon and I think this will go over well. Thank you.
I hope you love it Kay!! I’d love to know what you think if you try it.
This is a perfect summertime dish. Thanks for the idea. We always have Greek yogurt in our house and I like the idea of your suggested flavorings. We also have some frozen shrimp. We have a houseguest arriving later today. I will make this up and have it on hand. Yum!
Thank you for sharing this kind review, Peggy! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe!
Wow this looks so yummy. I have never tried making pasta like this before but I will try it tomorrow and share the picture with you on Insta.
Thanks
Thank you, Shashi! I’m looking forward to seeing your results!
My housemate is allergic to onions and garlic, and very sensitive to lemons. I used 1 tsp lime zest, a tsp of lime juice celery, fennel, grated carrot, and 1 tsp cumin. It has become a huge family favorite!
I’m so happy this recipe was a hit, Gina! Thank you for taking the time to share this kind review!
Do you think I could use regular yogurt instead of greek yogurt?
I love your recipes btw!!
Thank you, Stephanie! I haven’t tried this swap before, but you could experiment with it. I think using regular yogurt may make it a little less tangy and creamy, but it should still be delicious. If you try it, I’d love to hear how it goes!
This is a delicious, easy recipe with a little bit of kick. I substituted cut up asparagus instead of peas. So refreshing. This will be my new go to salad at parties and picnics. Try it. You will love it.
Thank you for sharing this kind review, Patti! I’m so happy that you enjoyed the recipe!
I haven’t made this shrimp salad yet but will do it for Fathers Day, I looked at several others and I liked your ingredients best, thank you
I hope you enjoy the pasta salad, Charlotte!
Delicious and easy to make. Perfect for the Summer.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Jackie! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
I think I already like it I am going to try it for family dinner on Sunday then keep the recipe for my wedding anniversary in June. Thank you.
I hope you love the recipe!
I just made this and its awesome , thanks for the recipe
I’m so happy that you enjoyed the recipe, Deedra! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
I made for our church potluck. It was very good. I messed up on the cayenne pepper but it was not too much.
Hi Chewes! So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for this kind review!
Being a Midwesterner and enjoying a full-fat mayonnaise-based salad, I was skeptical. But this recipe was awesome! It’s filling, yet doesn’t leave you feeling heavy after. Definitely a keeper!
Hi Laura! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
This is delicious! I added a few cherry tomatoes and then put the shrimp/pasta salad on a bed of arugula and served with fresh melon. I’ll be making this again. Thanks!
Hi Lisa! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!