Shrimp Pesto Pasta Salad

Shrimp Pesto Pasta Salad is an unbelievably easy and fast recipe. The hardest part is cooking the pasta!!! We prefer to use homemade pesto but a good quality purchased pesto will also work.

Pesto Pasta Salad

The key ingredients for this Shrimp Pesto Pasta Salad are: Pasta, Pesto, Shrimp, Tomatoes, Feta, and Ricotta Cheese.

Homemade Pesto!!!!

If you haven't tried making your own pesto yet, I highly recommend it- First, it's way easier to make than you think! Second, homemade pesto has the best flavor! If you like it with more lemon... Add more lemon! More of a garlic fan...Add more garlic! You're in control. Speaking of being in control, you get to decide on the amount of oil in the pesto. We found that extra oil isn't necessary and some of the store-bought options were loaded with extra fat that wasn't needed. Cutting back on some of the olive oil didn't change the flavor at all. It actually makes it better because it allows the fresh, sharp flavors of garlic, lemon, and basil to shine. Now, you do need to have basil, although, it can be made with other substitutes. If you can't get fresh basil, or you don't have the time to make the pesto, just make sure to purchase the best pesto you can find.

How Do I Make Homemade Pesto?

It's actually hard to believe how easy it is to make Pesto! When we make pesto we do it in several batches. It's very rewarding when the pesto is finished. The hardest part is picking the basil leaves off the stems and zesting the lemons. We get all the ingredients ready and then we start making each batch of pesto.

Once we make all the pesto we freeze what we don't plan on using within a week. Pesto freezes very well. We freeze them in Ziploc baggies for up to 9 months. It usually can be stored in the refrigerator for about a week.

We always make our Pesto Spicy but this recipe is great mild. Just leave out the peppers and it is a nice mild pesto.

How to Prepare the Shrimp

More than likely the shrimp will be frozen. If you're lucky enough to get fresh ones skip this step! For most of us, they'll be frozen and in order to thaw them they can be placed overnight in the refrigerator. Or, if you're like me and this meal was a last-minute decision, the shrimp can be thawed quickly. Just place them in a bowl and run cool water over them. Stir them around so they don't stick together. In just a few minutes they should be thawed and ready to be peeled.

After the shrimp have thawed if it has a shrimp smell, here's an easy tip to get the smell out; Just sprinkle one teaspoon of salt on the shrimp and stir for one minute. Rinse thoroughly. Repeat this step of salt and rinsing two more times.

I like to dab the shrimp dry with a paper towel. This isn't necessary but it does ensure that there isn't any excess water.

To make this recipe even faster use already cooked shrimp. A couple of tips for cooking shrimp. Always use the same size shrimp or, if you are using different sizes, cook them separately. What I mean by this is, don't mix small shrimp and jumbo shrimp when cooking them!

We grilled the shrimp for this recipe on a salt block. But the Shrimp can be Sautéed in 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil. I do like to sauté them on high heat. It will only take three or four minutes to cook a medium to large shrimp. I think sautéing on high gives them a better texture that is juicy and tender. When Shrimp is perfectly cooked it is firm enough to curl and it has an opaque pinkish color.

NOTE: If using the quick thaw method from above: While the shrimp are thawing start the water for the pasta.

Building the Shrimp Pesto Pasta Salad

Let the cooked pasta cool. Marinate the shrimp in lemon juice and garlic. Mix together the pesto and ricotta cheese. Rinse off the cherry tomatoes and slice them in half. Chop the onion. Cook the shrimp in two tablespoons of olive oil. Finally, mix together the pasta, shrimp, onions, tomatoes, and pesto/ ricotta cheese mixture.

Mix together fully and top with feta cheese and enjoy this Shrimp Pesto Pasta Salad!!!!!

Other fun recipes using lemon and or pasta are Pasta in garlic lemon sauce, Lemon ricotta pasta with shrimp and spinach, Lemon chicken, Lemon ricotta sauce with shrimp, Creamy Lemon pasta with shrimp, Pesto pasta with garlic and lemon, Herb crusted lamb, Fresh Tomato Pasta, Seared Scallop with Pasta, and of course, a dessert Blueberry lemon cheesecake