Seafood Pasta Salad

This chilled seafood pasta salad comes together fast and holds up well in the fridge, making it a solid pick for potlucks, picnics, or meal prep. Tri-color spiral pasta catches the dressing in every curl, while cooked shrimp gives it a protein boost without any extra cooking beyond boiling the noodles.

The dressing is what sets this apart from a standard mayo-based pasta salad. White wine Worcestershire sauce mixed with mayonnaise creates a tangy, slightly savory coating that’s lighter and more complex than plain mayo alone. The vegetables stay crisp since they go in raw, giving every forkful a fresh crunch against the tender pasta and shrimp.

Chilling for at least 30 minutes lets the flavors meld, but this salad is even better after a few hours in the fridge.

Pro Tips

• Rinse the cooked pasta under cold water immediately. This stops the cooking and washes off excess starch so the spirals don’t clump together.
• Toss the pasta with a drizzle of olive oil after rinsing to keep it separated while you prep the other ingredients.
• If making ahead, hold back half the dressing and toss it in just before serving. Pasta absorbs dressing as it sits.

Variations

• Use canned tuna in place of shrimp for a pantry-friendly version.
• Swap the mayo for Greek yogurt to lighten up the dressing while keeping the creaminess.
• Toss in cherry tomato halves and sliced black olives for a Mediterranean spin.