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This shrimp pasta salad combines tender pasta, juicy shrimp, crisp veggies, and a creamy dressing for a bright, satisfying dish that’s quick to prepare.
Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Flavor: It’s cool, refreshing, and loaded with satisfying texture and flavor in every bite.
- Skill Level: This recipe is so easy to prepare, especially when using precooked shrimp!
- Budget Tip: Keep it affordable and use frozen peeled and deveined shrimp or canned shrimp.
- Serving Suggestions: Serve chilled; great for lunches, BBQs, or a light dinner.
Ingredient Tips for Shrimp Pasta Salad
- Macaroni: Any small to medium-sized pasta will work well in this recipe. Cook them al dente (firm), as they’ll absorb some of the dressing.
- Cooked Shrimp: Small, pre-cooked shrimp make this easy. You can use canned shrimp or frozen shrimp. If using larger shrimp, roughly chop them into bite-sized pieces.
- Onion: Use finely diced red onion or sweet white onion. You can also add green onions to this recipe.
- Dressing: The creamy dressing has a base of mayonnaise. Fresh lemon juice, sweet relish, and dill add fresh flavor.
- Add-Ins: Chopped celery and red pepper add a bit of crunch and freshness.
Serving & Storing
- This dish is perfect as a side or a light one-dish meal for hot summer lunches—no oven needed!
- It can be made up to 24 hours in advance, but it’s best to add the shrimp just before serving.
- If bringing it to a potluck, keep it chilled—shrimp and mayo don’t mix well with the sun.
- Set the salad bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice to keep it safely cool and fresh.
More Pasta Salads Perfect for Summer
Did you make this Shrimp Pasta Salad? Be sure to leave a rating and comment below!
Shrimp Pasta Salad
Shrimp pasta salad is the perfect dish for a potluck or party. It comes together within minutes and it’s incredibly delicious!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces elbow macaroni
- 1 ⅓ cups small cooked shrimp
- ⅔ cup diced celery
- ½ cup diced red bell pepper
- 1 tablespoon finely diced white onion
Dressing
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons sweet relish
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot of salted water, cook macaroni noodles al dente according to package directions. Rinse under cold water and drain well.
- In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, lemon juice, relish, dill, sugar, and salt. Stir well.
- Add the cooled pasta, shrimp, celery, bell pepper, and onion. Gently toss to combine.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow flavors to blend.
Notes
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Stir before serving.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 307 | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 290mg | Potassium: 118mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 405IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Party Food, Pasta, Salad, Seafood
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
love the shrimp pasta salad and dill pickle pasta salad. both are delish recipes!
I tried this recipe recently and it’s terrific. I used shell pasta instead of macaroni, and I used diced green onion instead of a regular onion because I thought the flavor and aroma of a regular onion would overpower the shrimp. I’m glad I made that substitution. Otherwise, I followed the recipe as written. This recipe will go into my “favorites” recipe book. It’s a keeper!
Very good. The only change i will make in future is less macaroni and more shrimp. Its more macaroni salad with some shrimp as it is.