Shrimp Pasta Salad

cooked shrimp, pasta and veggies assembled in a large blue bowl.

This Shrimp Pasta Salad is absolutely delicious with creamy and spicy avocado dressing - The best Mexican pasta salad for summer meals or parties.

Course Salad

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword shrimp pasta salad

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Servings Servings

Calories 319kcal

Author Maria Doss

Equipment

Ingredients

Shrimp

1 pound raw shrimp
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper powder

Salad ingredients

8 ounces Rotini pasta
2 ears corn, cooked
2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
½ small red onion thinly sliced
½ cup chopped cilantro
½ jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced optional

Salad dressing

1 large Avocado
3 tablespoons water or more if needed
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
½ to 1 jalapeno pepper
½ lemon juiced
Salt to taste

Instructions

Cook shrimp

Toss shrimp with chili powder, garlic powder, salt and black pepper.
Air fry - Preheat air fryer to 400°F for 8 minutes. When hot, place shrimp in a single layer and cook for 7 to 8 minutes or cooked through and tender.
Stove top - Place a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. When hot, place the shrimp in a single layer and cook on both sides, until curled, pink and cooked through.

Cook pasta

Fill a pot with three quarts water, bring to a boil. Add one tablespoon salt, followed by the dried pasta. Stir until the water returns to a boil.
Cook for two minutes more than the package instructions. Strain, rinse, drain and let cool completely.

Make salad dressing

Add all salad dressing ingredients into a mini food processor or small blender and process until very smooth.
Season to taste and add more water if it looks too thick, but don't make it very thin.

Assemble

Add the cooled pasta and shrimp to a large bowl. Sprinkle all veggies and drizzle the dressing on top. Dig in!

Video

Notes

Pasta water - Be generous with salt when boiling your pasta to ensure it's well-seasoned and doesn't end up tasting bland.

Cooking pasta - Cook your pasta a touch softer than aldente, which is ideal in salad recipes.

Pasta shape - Choose rotini pasta because its shape helps the avocado dressing stick better. Feel free to use any other shorter shape pasta instead.

Nutrition