Po’ Boy Shrimp Pasta Salad + Video
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Your favorite New Orleans Shrimp Po’ Boy Sandwich transformed into a sensational Po’ Boy Shrimp Pasta Salad with Creamy Remoulade Dressing! It doesn’t get more crowd-pleasing addicting than this creamy, hearty, spicy, juicy shrimp pasta salad!
I am beyond giddy to bring you this Po Boy Shrimp Pasta Salad! It’s everything you love about the quintessential New Orleans sandwich but with pillowy, cheesy tortellini, because tortellini makes everything better.
This Shrimp Po Boy Tortellini Salad is loaded with Cajun shrimp, juicy tomatoes, crunchy lettuce, and tangy pickles with the most fabulous tangy remoulade dressing.
If you aren’t familiar with remoulade, it is a mayonnaise based spread that is tangy and mildly sweet and sour making it the perfect companion for earthy, spicy seafood.
Po’ Boy Shrimp Pasta Salad
Toss everything together and you have creamy, crispy, crunchy, savory and tangy in each and every bite!
This Po Bo Shimp Tortellini Salad isn’t just any pasta salad, it is the pasta salad everyone is going to be talking about, begging you for and craving for daysssss.
I literally ate it all by myself over two days (because my husband is allergic to shrimp) and was so sad to see the last bite go.
So as we get into potluck and barbecue season, be sure to add this Po Bo Shrimp Pasta Salad to your “Must Make” list along with Broccoli Salad with Strawberries and Avocados and my BLT Pasta Salad! Now let’s get started!
Helpful Tips to make Po Boy Shrimp Pasta Salad:
- It is important to not overcook your tortellini otherwise it will fall apart when tossed.
- To stop your pasta from cooking after it’s removed from the heat, rinse and drain it in cold water then drizzle it with a touch of olive oil to keep it from sticking together.
- Discard the very top flimsy part of the Romaine because it doesn’t have as much crunch then use the lettuce closest to the bottom stem for maximum crunch.
- Don’t overcrowd your shrimp in the skillet otherwise it will steam. Instead, cook shrimp in two batches.
- In order to develop a deep colorful sear on your shrimp, don’t touch it for 2 minutes, flip, and then don’t touch it again until it’s cooked through.
- This Po Boy Shrimp Pasta Salad has a kick to it but should not be overly spicy so everyone can enjoy it. If you want to make it spicier, add hot sauce to the Dressing to taste.
- When making the salad ahead, toss all the ingredients together except the Romaine lettuce, with 1/2 of the dressing. Reserve the remaining dressing to pour over the salad before you serve it.
- You can make the dressing up to 24 hours in advance and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
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Enjoy!
With love from our simple kitchen to yours.
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Check out more of our favorite soup recipes:
Hawaiian Tortellini Pasta Salad
Muffaletta Tortellini Pasta Salad
Bacon Ranch Tortellini Pasta Salad
RECIPE VIDEO
Watch the video below to see how easy it is to make this recipe!
Po’ Boy Shrimp Pasta Salad + Video
Equipment
Ingredients
Pasta Salad
- 20 ounces cheese tortellini
- 1 1/2 pounds medium shelled, deveined shrimp, tails on
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2/3 cup chopped Dill pickles
- 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cups packed roughly chopped romaine lettuce
Remoulade Dressing
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon horseradish
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pickle juice, from Dill pickles above
- 1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- Hot sauce to taste, optional
Instructions
- Whisk together all of the Remoulade Dressing ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Add shrimp to a medium bowl. Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning. Let sit at room temperature while you prep your other ingredients and cook your pasta.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook tortellini according to directions on the package (do not add salt to the water). Rinse with cool water and drain, then add to a large bowl. Toss with a little of the Dressing to keep it from sticking together. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add half of the shrimp in an even layer and cook 2 minutes, then flip shrimp over and cook another 2 minutes or until cooked through. Repeat with remaining shrimp. Once cool enough to handle, remove tails from shrimp.
- Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl. Pour desired amount of dressing over salad and gently toss with salad tongs until well coated. Add salt, pepper and/or hot sauce to taste.
Video
Donna’s Notes
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
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I used Old Bay Seasoning as we don't care for Cajun flavors!! It worked, all was delicious!! Guests practically inhaled the salad. Served with sourdough garlic bread – yum!! Thanks for the recipe – xoxoxo
We are so happy you enjoyed it!
which cheese tortellini you use. (the ones by regular dryed pasta or fresh pasta)
What is the purpose of leaving the tails on the shrimp, then removing after cooking?
I wondered the same thing, but I suspect it's just that shrimp tails are much easier to remove when cooked rather than raw.
I’m guessing it’s because the tails add flavor. When I cook , I leave the tails on, remove them before I serve.
Ok, just HAD to make this after seeing the recipe on Facebook. It is truly delicious and not particularly hard to make, BUT… and this is a big but for some folks: be prepared for lots of pots, pans, plates & clean-up. You need a bowl or plate to pat the shrimp dry and season them; you need another bowl to whisk together the dressing; you need a cutting board to slice onions & tomatoes and chop the pickles; you need a big pot to boil the pasta; you need a saute pan or skillet to cook the shrimp. You also need a colander for the pasta. Then you need a big bowl to toss it all together. I was taking it to a pot luck so add a giant container and another bowl (but that's a pot luck thing). Not sure the purpose of leaving the tails on the shrimp (as asked by another reader) but it could be that tails are much easier to remove once cooked. I think the effort was worth it though. I made a big batch and everyone loved it.
Just like the sandwich but with PASTA! OMG it was so good and gone in minutes! A keeper for sure!