Kick up the pasta salad a notch by serving this Shrimp Pasta Salad. Gussied up with a homemade Italian dressing, you'll love this pasta salad as a side dish or light meal.
16ouncebow tie pastacooked (or any pasta of choice)
1cupItalian dressingI use homemade
3cupsdiced vegetablesany combo (I love using cherry tomatoes, cucumber, celery, green pepper, broccoli, whatever you have on hand)
¼cupshredded parmesan cheese
8ounceshrimpcooked, tails removed (de-veined)
Instructions
Cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse in cold water.
Dice veggies and add to pasta in a large bowl. Top with italian dressing, parmesan cheese and shrimp. Enjoy.
Notes
Cook the pasta al dente. The noodles will soften very slightly as they marinate in the dressing, so I cook them for about a minute less than I normally would to keep the pasta salad from getting mushy.
While you can buy pre-cooked shrimp from the grocery store, I find the flavor is best if you cook it yourself. Use a simple stovetop or boiling method and cool the shrimp before you add it to this recipe.
Be sure the shrimp tails and veins are removed before cooking and adding them to the pasta salad.
I recommend the Italian dressing here. However, a Greek dressing or Vinaigrette would also be a tasty choice.