Shrimp Pasta Salad

The other day, Pioneer Woman posted a recipe for some shrimp pico de gallo (or Shrimpo de Gallo), and ever since then, I have had the idea of cold chopped shrimp stuck in my head.

Then as Chris and I were brainstorming what to do for dinner, I suddenly knew just what to do! Pasta salad, with shrimp!

I love pasta salad every now and then. It's a great way to break up the usual hot meat, side of starch, side of veggie routine. And though my usual pasta salad involves chicken, why not use shrimp instead?



Shrimp Pasta Salad

10-12 frozen shrimp
2 cups pasta (I used penne)
2 Carrots
1 Broccoli crown
1/4 a head of Cauliflower

For the dressing
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tbs rice wine vinegar
1 tsp garlic powder
1 pinch red chili flakes
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Thaw the shrimp, and drop in boiling water until they are cooked through. Drain and rinse with cold water, then put them in the fridge to cool further.

Cook pasta to al dente, drain, and put it in the fridge to hang out with the shrimp.

Chop up your veggies to the desired size. You can use other veggies than the ones listed above; this is a great way to use up whatever you have in the fridge that needs to be eaten!

Whisk all the ingredients for the dressing together. I highly encourage you to make your own dressing instead of using the bottled stuff -- it tastes so much fresher, and when all your ingredients are fresh and cold, it's delicious!