Shrimp Pasta Salad with Bacon, Avocado, and Lemon Dressing

This shrimp pasta salad is so versatile. It’s great as a main course for lunch or dinner, but it’s equally fantastic for potlucks or served as a side dish. It has creaminess from the avocado, umami-rich flavor from the smoked bacon and garlic butter shrimp, crunch from the diced peppers and crispy bacon topping, and a bright flavor from the lemon Dijon mustard dressing.

Ingredients You’ll Need

This pasta salad serves 6 as a main course, 4 with generous restaurant-style portions, or 8-10 as a side dish or for a potluck.

Salad Ingredients

• Pasta – 1 lb fusilli (rotini) pasta
• Shrimp – 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
• Bacon – 8 oz smoked streaky bacon
• Avocado – 2 large avocados, diced
• Sweet Peppers – 2 sweet pointed peppers (or substitute with red, yellow, or orange bell peppers), diced
• Lemon Zest – 1 tsp lemon zest
• Garlic – 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Butter – 2 tbsp butter
• Oil – 1 tbsp neutral oil such as light olive oil, for cooking the shrimp

Salad Dressing

• Extra-Virgin Olive Oil – 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• Lemon Juice – 2 tbsp lemon juice
• Dijon Mustard – 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• Fresh Parsley – 2 tbsp minced fresh parsley
• Fresh Chives – 1 tbsp minced fresh chives
• Dried Oregano – 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste

How to Make the Shrimp Pasta Salad

Step 1. Make the pasta salad dressing by whisking together lemon juice, olive oil, Dijon mustard, parsley, chives, dried oregano, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside.

Step 2. Boil the pasta. To a large pot of salted boiling water, add the pasta and cook for the time indicated on the package, plus 1-2 minutes. When pasta is served cold, it’s a bit tougher, so cooking it a bit longer (by 1-2 minutes) is recommended for pasta salads. Drain the pasta and toss with half the salad dressing. Set it aside to cool.

Step 3. While the pasta is boiling, cook the bacon. Use your favorite method, whether that’s the oven, pan, or air fryer.

My favorite method is as follows: Take 2 baking sheets of an equal size. Then, place parchment paper or baking paper on one and add the bacon rashers on top. Cover with parchment paper and then place the second baking sheet on top. The second baking sheet keeps them flat, allowing them to get evenly crisp. Bake in the preheated oven at 400°F (or 200°C) until you achieve your desired crispiness. Once the bacon cools, roughly chop it.

Step 4. Cook the shrimp. Preheat a pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper, and add them to the hot pan, cooking on the first side until the edges start turning opaque and the centers are still slightly translucent (about 2 minutes). Flip the shrimp, add the butter, minced garlic, and lemon zest, and cook until fully opaque, about 1-2 minutes more, depending on the type and size of shrimp. Transfer the shrimp with the juices to a large plate and set aside to cool. Once cooled, cut into bite-sized pieces if the shrimp is large.

Step 5. Once all the ingredients have cooled to room temperature (about 15-20 minutes), gently toss the pasta with:

• diced avocado,
• diced sweet peppers,
• cooked shrimp (including the juices/butter),
• half the chopped crispy bacon (reserving half for the topping),
• and remaining salad dressing.

You can serve this immediately, or you can refrigerate it for 30-60 minutes before serving. Top with the crispy bacon just before serving.

Make-Ahead Note: If making this the day before, don’t add the avocado as it will brown. Add it instead on the day, as close to the time you plan to serve the salad. You can also drizzle some lemon juice on it to keep it from browning quickly. Additionally, you could hold back on the half of the crispy bacon going into the salad so it doesn’t go soft and chewy. Reserve it and add it just before serving.

Bacon Substitute: If you don’t love bacon, you can substitute it with chopped sun-dried tomatoes. It makes for a great pescatarian version. Use about 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes (drained if packed in oil).

As I mentioned, the versatility of this dish means you can use it in so many ways. If you make it and love the dish, let me know your thoughts in a review below. Whatever the occasion, I hope you and your loved ones enjoy this pasta salad!

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