30-Minute Shrimp Pesto Pasta Salad
This zesty shrimp pesto pasta salad is the ideal recipe when you’re in the mood for something light, delicious, and easy to make.
It’s the perfect pasta salad for warm summer days, picnics, casual dinners, or when you need a side dish in a hurry.
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Shrimp Pesto Pasta Salad
Welcome back for another delicious pasta salad recipe.
I absolutely love💜 this shrimp pesto pasta salad when it feats. my favorite ingredient: fresh pesto sauce.
Pesto sauce, especially when made fresh, is my absolute favorite. It’s made with fresh ingredients like basil, garlic, lemon, pine nuts or walnuts, extra virgin olive oil, a hint of parm (optional), and a pinch of salt!
Ingredient List and Substitutions
Tips
Start with good-quality shrimp that’s peeled and deveined to save time. This wild, raw Argentinian shrimp is peeled and deveined and wild rather than farmed.
Second Tip: I love fusilli pasta with pesto because the pesto tucks into the fusilli perfectly.
Pasta
- Fusilli Pasta – or rotini pasta for a slightly larger pasta.
- Purified Water – enough to fill a pot
- Salt – for salty pasta water
Ingredients For The Dressing
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Fresh Lemon Juice – if you’re out of lemons, use lime juice instead. (optional)
- Garlic – finely minced
- Black Pepper – to taste
- Salt – to taste
Shrimp
- Wild Raw Argentinian Red Shrimp
- Pepper to taste
- Avocado Oil
Tomato & Pesto Sauce
- Cherry Tomatoes—Grape tomatoes are also a great option. Have you seen brands called flavor bombs or sugar bombs? They’re super sweet, full of flavor, and perfect for this recipe.
- Pesto Sauce – with either pine nuts or walnuts. Pesto sauce usually has parmesan cheese, but you can make it vegan, by making it without the parmesan cheese.
Equipment
- Large Pot
- Large Pan
- Pasta Drainer
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Tongs
- Paring Knife
- Wooden Cutting Board
Step-by-Step Instructions
Prepare
- Fill a large pot with water and enough salt to make it salty, place it on the stove, and set it to boil.
- Thaw and clean the shrimp, then pat dry.
- Clean, rinse, and slice the tomatoes in half.
Pasta
- Fill a large pot with water and lots of salt, and bring to a boil.
- Add the pasta to the pot.
- Boil the pasta until it’s al dente, roughly 9-11 minutes, or as indicated on the box instructions.
- Drain and allow to cool.
- Place the pasta in the refrigerator and cool until you’re ready to make the pasta salad.
Shrimp
- Preheat a large pan on medium to high heat, then coat the pan with avocado oil.
- Once the pan and oil are hot, add the shrimp and black pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until the shrimp is bright pinky-orange and white and no longer translucent when fully cooked.
Vinaigrette
- Combine the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a bowl or large measuring cup and whisk.
Final Steps
- Place the cooled pasta in a large mixing bowl. Add the shrimp, fresh pesto sauce, sliced tomatoes, dressing, and toss.
- Top with fresh basil leaves.
- Optional – top with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Variations
I love to try different variations of this pasta salad, like grilled chicken, chicken cutlets, or garbanzo beans.
Shrimp
- Add light greens like arugula for pasta or arugula salad combination.
Storage
Best Storage Option
Store the shrimp pesto pasta salad in an airtight, sealed glass container to preserve it longer.
The cooked shrimp will safely last in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
What To Serve With A Shrimp Pesto Pasta Salad
I love this pasta salad with a side of air-fried elote (Mexican street corn) or a side of crunchy plantain chips, or air-fried yuca fries.
Looking for other recipes?
Try some of my favorites:
Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
Super Crispy Pollo Empanizado (Breaded Chicken)
If you make this recipe, please leave a comment or rate it. I would love to hear from you and try my best to respond to all comments.
30-Minute Shrimp Pesto Pasta Salad
Equipment
- 1 Large Pot
- 1 Large Pan
- 1 Pasta Drainer
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl
- 1 Tongs
- 1 Paring Knife
- 1 Wooden Cutting Board
Ingredients
Pasta
- ½ lb Fusilli Pasta or Rotini Pasta
- Purified Water
- ½ tbsp Salt for salty pasta water
Lemon Dressing & Pesto
- 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Lemon Fresh Lime Juice
- 1 pinch Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste
- 1 pinch Salt to taste
- ½ cup Pesto
Shrimp
- 1 lb Wild Raw Argentinian Red Shrimp
- ⅛ tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1 tbsp Avocado Oil
Tomato
- 1 pint Cherry Tomatoes
Instructions
Prepare
- Fill a large pot with water and salt, place it on the stove, and set it to boil.
- Thaw and clean the shrimp, then pat dry.
- Clean, rinse the tomato, and slice them in half, then set aside.
Pasta
- Fill a large pot with water and lots of salt, and bring to a boil.
- Add the pasta to the pot
- Boil the pasta until it’s al dente, roughly 10-12 minutes. Follow the instructions on the box. Every pasta has slightly different cooking times depending on a couple of factors.
- Drain and allow to cool.
- Place the pasta in the refrigerator and allow it to cool until you’re ready to make the pasta salad.
Shrimp
- Preheat a large pan on medium to high heat, then coat the pan with avocado oil.
- Once the pan and oil are hot, add the shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until the shrimp is bright pinky-orange and white, no longer translucent when fully cooked.
Lemon Dressing
- In a small bowl or large measuring cup, combine the lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper, and then whisk them well.
Final Steps
- Place the cooled pasta in a large mixing bowl. Combine with the shrimp, sliced tomatoes, pesto sauce, and dressing, then toss.
- Optional – top with freshly grated parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaves.
