This Shrimp Pasta Salad is a great summer recipe for a BBQ, pot luck, or to whip up for an easy, healthy meal prep for the week. It’s flavorful and good for you!
If you know love me, you know I love a good pasta dish. When the weather starts warming up it becomes pasta salad season and I am here for it! This Shrimp Pasta Salad is protein-packed, healthy, and so satisfying. It’s the perfect salad to make up for lunches for the week, a summer BBQ, or dinner, and you can customize it to what you like.
Why You’ll Love Shrimp Pasta Salad
- Quick: This Shrimp Pasta Salad will take less than 30 minutes to make up
- Healthy: This salad is full of healthy, hearty ingredients that are good for you
- Versatile: The best part about a pasta salad is you can add or remove whatever you like to it and it can be a great way to use up things in your fridge
Ingredients
Shrimp – Shrimp is high in vitamins and minerals, and a great source of protein. It also contains omega-3 fatty acids which is good for your heart and brain health
Goat Cheese – Goat cheese is so creamy and delicious. It’s made with goat’s milk and is easier to digest and lower in calories than regular cheese
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How to Make Shrimp Pasta Salad
- Cook the pasta according to package directions, making sure to cook to al dente since the pasta will continue to soften once its mixed with the dressing. Once the pasta is cooked, drain and set aside.
- To a small bowl or in a jar, add the dressing ingredients and whisk together or shake it. Set aside.
- Add defrosted shrimp to a bowl with 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp salt and tsp pepper and 1/2 tsp garlic powder. Stir and set aside. Turn a medium-sized frying pan to medium-high heat. Once warm, turn to medium heat and add shrimp and cook 2-3 minutes per side until cooked through. Remove the shrimp and set aside. Deglaze the pan with juice of half a lemon and scrape the yummy bits off the bottom of the pan. Then add the pasta to the pan and cook for a few 2-3 minutes to coat with the lemon juice. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl toss gently together all of the salad ingredients and pasta with the dressing. Add the shrimp and gently toss. Serve immediately or store in the fridge for up to 3 days until ready to enjoy.
Tips and Tricks
- Meal Prep: Meal prep this Shrimp Pasta Salad for lunches for the week
- Beans: Swap the cannellini beans with butter beans, navy beans, or whatever beans you prefer
- Protein: Swap the shrimp for chicken or leave out the meat/seafood completely if you prefer
Best served with
How to Store Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. The longer the dressing marinades on the noodles, the more it bursts with flavor.
Common Questions
Does pasta salad get soggy?
It entirely depends on the veggies you put in the pasta. The noodles themselves don’t get soggy, however, something like a cucumber or onions may decrease in crunchiness the longer it sits in the dressing. For salads like that, you can leave the dressing on the side.
What kind of pasta should I use in pasta salad?
You want a noodle that will absorb the most sauce. A penne or fussilli are great options.
Shrimp Pasta Salad
This Shrimp Pasta Salad is a great summer recipe for a BBQ, pot luck, or to whip up for an easy, healthy meal prep for the week. It’s flavorful and good for you!
Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 654 kcal
For the salad
- 175-200 g fusili pasta, cooked
- juice of half a lemon
- 100 g crumbled goat cheese
- 1/2 cup finely chopped sundried tomatoes (drained of any oil)
- 14 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 shallots, minced
- 1/2 cup pitted green olives
- 1/3 cup minced fresh chives
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Cook the pasta according to package directions, making sure to cook to al dente since the pasta will continue to soften once its mixed with the dressing. Once the pasta is cooked, drain and set aside.
-
To a small bowl or in a jar, add the dressing ingredients and whisk together or shake it. Set aside.
- Add defrosted shrimp to a bowl with 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp salt and tsp pepper and 1/2 tsp garlic powder. Stir and set aside. Turn a medium-sized frying pan to medium-high heat. Once warm, turn to medium heat and add shrimp and cook 2-3 minutes per side until cooked through. Remove the shrimp and set aside.Deglaze the pan with juice of half a lemon and scrape the yummy bits off the bottom of the pan. Then add the pasta to the pan and cook for a few 2-3 minutes to coat with the lemon juice. Set aside.
-
In a large mixing bowl toss gently together all of the salad ingredients and pasta with the dressing. Add the shrimp and gently toss. Serve immediately or store in the fridge for up to 3 days until ready to enjoy.
- If you can’t find cannellini beans, butter beans or navy beans would be delicious substitutes.
- This recipe would be delicious as a meal prep salad!
- If you don’t enjoy shrimp, substitute with 2-3 cups chopped cooked chicken.
Calories: 654kcal | Carbohydrates: 57.6g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 31.5g | Saturated Fat: 7.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18.9g | Cholesterol: 192.6mg | Sodium: 939.9mg | Fiber: 6.3g | Sugar: 6.6g