Soul Food Instant Pot Shrimp Pasta Salad
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I’m always exploring culinary journeys to reimagine classic soul food recipes with a modern twist! This time, I focused on finding new ways to prepare my soul food-inspired Italian pasta recipe. My goal was to create a quicker, easier version of the dish, leading me to an exciting new method: Instant Pot shrimp pasta salad!
This recipe features savory butter garlic shrimp, al dente spaghetti pasta, and a flavorful blend of Italian dressing and seasonings. Fresh vegetables are also included, making this soul food pasta salad a vibrant and delicious option that can be made with the help of the Instant Pot-one pot, straight to the plate!
Quick shrimp pasta salad in the Instant Pot
Most people don’t think of the Instant Pot when making pasta salad, but this shrimp pasta salad recipe proves that familiar flavors can adapt and flourish in different settings. The pasta is cooked to perfection in just 3 minutes, while the delicious butter garlic shrimp can be pressure-cooked in only 60 seconds!
Ingredients
To create a soul food pasta salad that captures the essence of soul food flavors while maintaining the lightness desired in summer dishes, you’ll need a specific set of ingredients. Some of these ingredients will be used to cook the shrimp in the Instant Pot, while others will be used to pressure cook the pasta later.
Measurements for the recipe can be found in the printable recipe card below.
- Shrimp – Fresh, plump pieces promise a seafood delight.
- Water – For the cooking pasta.
- Avocado oil – Provides a fragrant base when cooking the shrimp.
- Spaghetti pasta – The longer spaghetti noodles have a great balance with the ripe cuts of cucumber and tomato.
- Tomatoes – Choose ripe, juicy ones for sweetness.
- Cucumbers – Adds a refreshing, crisp crunch.
- Italian dressing – The dressing base for zest and tang.
- Italian dressing dry seasoning – Used for the intense, soulful flavor that makes this recipe unforgettable. The McCormick brand Perfect Pinch Salad Supreme seasoning is typically found in the same aisle as other seasonings or in your local grocery store’s salad dressing and condiment section.
- Butter, garlic, salt, and pepper – These ingredients are used together to season the sautéed shrimp.
How to make Instant Pot pasta salad with shrimp
This recipe is made using the Instant Pot, making it a convenient one-pot meal that goes straight from cooking to serving! The shrimp cooks in just one minute, while the pasta pressure-cooks in only three minutes. So, this pasta salad is not just a dish. It offers a quick, easy, and enjoyable cooking experience.
Step-by-step guided instructions can be found in the printable recipe card below.
- Cook the shrimp in garlic, butter, salt, and pepper.
- Pressure cook the pasta on high for 3 minutes.
- Drain the cooked pasta using a colander.
- Mix the Italian dressing and seasoning with the spaghetti.
- Fold in the tomatoes, cucumber, and shrimp.
- Cover and refrigerate, then serve and enjoy!
Do you cool the shrimp before adding it to the pasta salad?
After the Instant Pot cooking time is finished, drain the liquid from the cooked shrimp using a colander and set the shrimp aside. The shrimp will cool while you prepare the spaghetti noodles for the pasta salad.
Serving this Southern shrimp pasta salad
Ironically, this cold spaghetti salad is best enjoyed alongside a hot main dish! However, this Instant Pot pasta salad is easy to prepare and can be served as either a main course or a side. With ripe tomatoes, fresh cucumbers, and savory shrimp, it also becomes a satisfying dish perfect for seafood boils, cookouts, BBQs, and potlucks.
More soul food BBQ favorites
This Instant Pot pasta salad recipe offers a refreshing change from traditional hot pasta dishes. It’s simple to prepare, perfect for a hot summer day!
This salad pairs nicely with classic soul food favorites such as Southern soul food fried chicken, Southern shrimp boil, baked mac and cheese, or Southern potato salad.
Equipment
- Instant Pot electric pressure cooker
- Colander
Ingredients
Ingredients for the shrimp
- 12 oz. shrimp jumbo, frozen or thawed, peeled and deveined
- ¼ teaspoon avocado oil or cooking spray
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Ingredients for Black folks’ soul food Southern pasta with Italian dressing
- 8 oz. spaghetti noodles uncooked spaghetti noodles or angel hair pasta
- 2 qt. water
- 1 cup tomato chopped
- 1 cup cucumber peeled and chopped
- 10 oz. Italian dressing zesty Italian salad dressing
- 6 tablespoons seasoning Salad Supreme Seasoning or 1 packet of dry Italian dressing seasoning
Instructions
Instructions for the Instant Pot shrimp
- Remove the Instant Pot lid and turn on the sauté setting for 5 minutes. (Although you will not use all of this time. I like to have the extra minutes for the time it takes for the sauté to become active.)
- Heat the water, avocado oil, and butter in the stainless-steel inner pot with the lid off the pot for up to 1 minute.
- Add the shrimp, garlic, salt, and pepper.
- Cancel the sauté setting and close the Instant Pot lid.
- Close the Instant Pot lid (ensure the valve is up and in the position for sealing) and pressure cook on high for 1 minute.
- When cooking is finished, allow a natural pressure release for at least 2 minutes.
- To open the Instant Pot lid, move the valve to 'venting' and manually release any remaining pressure, if applicable.
- Use a colander to drain the liquid from the cooked shrimp, set the shrimp aside to cool, and add it to the pasta salad later.
Instructions for the Instant Pot pasta
- Open the Instant Pot lid and add the water and the spaghetti pasta, broken in half, to the stainless-steel inner pot.
- Stir the mixture to ensure the noodles are submerged in the water.
- Close the Instant Pot lid (ensure the valve is up and in the position for sealing) and pressure cook on high for 3 minutes.
- When cooking is finished, allow a natural pressure release for 5 minutes.
- To open the Instant Pot lid, move the valve to 'venting' and manually release any remaining pressure, if applicable.
- Turn off the Instant Pot and stir the pasta to loosen any clumps.
- Using a colander, drain the liquid from the pasta.
- Then rinse the noodles in cold water and allow the excess water to drain.
- Mix the Italian dressing and Italian dressing seasoning in a medium-sized bowl with the cooked spaghetti pasta.
- Fold in the tomatoes, cucumber, and shrimp.
- Cover and refrigerate the pasta salad for an hour.
- Serve this Instant Pot pasta salad chilled, and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
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I love it when it can also be made in the IP!