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Pasta & Crab Salad

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Submitted by jatwood

Chilled pasta and crab salad tossed with creamy mayo, garlic, and diced onion. Add broccoli, peas, or cauliflower for a loaded cold pasta dish that’s perfect for potlucks.

YIELD

4 servings

PREP

15 min

COOK

0 min

READY

2 hrs

Cold pasta salad meets sweet crab meat in this no-cook crowd-pleaser that gets better the longer it sits in the fridge.

The beauty here is flexibility. Start with chilled pasta and crab, fold in a generous amount of garlicky mayo dressing, then raid your crisper drawer. Broccoli florets, green peas, cauliflower, carrots, celery... toss in whatever you have on hand or skip the extras entirely.

Chilling for at least two hours is key. That resting time lets the mayo soak into the pasta and all those flavors marry together into something much bigger than the sum of its parts.

Pro Tips

  • Cook the pasta just until al dente. It softens further as it absorbs the dressing in the fridge, so overcooked pasta turns mushy.
  • Rinse your cooked pasta under cold water immediately to stop the cooking and wash off excess starch that makes salads gummy.
  • If the salad looks dry after chilling, stir in a couple extra spoonfuls of mayo before serving. Cold pasta drinks up dressing.
  • Blanch the broccoli and cauliflower briefly (about 60 seconds) so they stay crisp-tender rather than raw and tough.

Variations

  • Use imitation crab for a budget-friendly version that still delivers that sweet seafood flavor.
  • Swap mayo for Greek yogurt to lighten things up while keeping the creamy base.
  • Toss in Old Bay seasoning and a squeeze of lemon for a Chesapeake Bay twist.

Ingredients

4 946
CUPS ML PASTA
cooked and chilled *
½ 0.5
PACKAGE PACKAGE CRAB MEAT *
1 ½ 355
CUPS ML MAYONNAISE
1
X GARLIC
to taste *
1
X SALT AND BLACK PEPPER
to taste *
1 1
EACH ONION
diced
Optional indregients
1 1
EACH EACH BROCCOLI FLORETS *
1 1
EACH EACH GREEN PEAS *
1 1
EACH EACH CAULIFLOWER FLORETS *
1 1
EACH CARROT
1 1
EACH EACH CELERY

Directions

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Let sit in fridge until chillied thoroughly.

* not incl. in nutrient facts Arrow up button

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Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 141g (5.0 oz)
Amount per Serving
Calories 573 48% from fat
 % Daily Value *
Total Fat 30g 47%
Saturated Fat 5g 23%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 23mg 8%
Sodium 650mg 27%
Total Carbohydrate 23g 23%
Dietary Fiber 3g 12%
Sugars g
Protein 17g
Vitamin A 56% Vitamin C 5%
Calcium 4% Iron 12%
* based on a 2,000 calorie diet How is this calculated?
Trans-fat Free, Good source of fiber
 

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