Creamy Shrimp & Veggie Pasta Salad
This quick, flavorful cold pasta salad comes together in under 30 minutes for a light meal or side dish:
Fill a large stockpot with water, add a light sprinkle of salt, and bring the water to a rolling boil over high heat. Cook your chosen pasta following the timing instructions listed on its packaging. Roughly 3 minutes before the pasta finishes cooking, add your raw shrimp and peas to the pot to cook alongside the pasta. Once the cooking time is up, pour the entire mixture into a colander to drain off all excess water. Run cold tap water over the drained ingredients to cool them down quickly and stop the cooking process.
While the pasta cooks, prep your creamy dressing in a large mixing bowl. Combine mayonnaise, mustard, freshly grated lemon zest, squeezed lemon juice, chopped fresh dill, smoked paprika, and salt in the bowl. Whisk the mixture thoroughly until it is fully smooth and all seasonings are evenly distributed.
Add the cooled pasta, shrimp, and pea mixture to the dressing, then toss in diced roasted red peppers, diced or shredded carrot, crisp diced celery, and finely chopped red onion. Mix everything well to coat every ingredient evenly in the creamy dressing. You can serve the salad immediately, or cover it tightly and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 4 hours before serving to let the flavors deepen. Top with extra fresh dill as a garnish before serving.
