Summer is synonymous with pasta salad, and pasta salad is synonymous with mayo-heavy dressings and a ratio of ingredients that’s 80 percent pasta and mayonnaise and 20 percent of the other stuff.
That’s not the case with this Peach & Shrimp Pasta Salad, which makes a great main course for warm summer nights. I was inspired by seasonal fruits – fresh peaches and half a pint of blackberries – to build up a recipe that lets pasta take a bit of a back seat.
You can mix and match ingredients with what you like or have on hand, or make it a Whole30-friendly dish by bulking up the arugula and removing the pasta completely.
Ingredients
- ½ pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 8 ounces rotini pasta (I used gluten free)
- 2 cups arugula
- 1 large peach, pitted and sliced
- ½ pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ pint blackberries
- ½ small red onion, thinly sliced
- Fresh basil leaves for garnish
- ½ cup olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
- ¼ cup white Modena vinegar
- Kosher salt
- Cracked black pepper
Instructions
Heat a skillet over high heat. In a small bowl, coat shrimp with 2 tablespoons olive oil, kosher salt and pepper.
Cook shrimp in heated skillet, about 3 minutes per side. Set shrimp aside on a plate.
Prepare rotini pasta according to package directions. Drain, rinse and add to a large bowl.
While pasta is still warm, stir in 2 cups arugula.
Add in cooked shrimp, sliced peach, cherry tomatoes, red onion and blackberries. Stir to combine.
In a small bowl, add ¼ cup white Modena vinegar. Whisk in ½ cup olive oil and season with salt and pepper to make a vinaigrette.
Pour dressing into the bowl, gently toss to combine and add to a serving dish. Garnish with torn fresh basil leaves. Serve.