This Crab Pasta Salad is a family recipe, one of my favorites! Packed with veggies and delicious flavor, it’s a staple at summer BBQs! This crab pasta salad is made with Italian dressing and either Spike or Old Bay Seasoning.
It is made with imitation crab, though you could certainly substitute real crab meat int his pasta salad. The pasta shells work perfectly in this recipe, holding on to the sauce and making a great crab pasta salad recipe that you will want to make again and again.
Today my mom would have been 69 years old. And I’m sure that she would have loved me sharing that with the internets.
Or maybe at this point in her life, she would have been completely cool with it. She might have even worn it as a badge of honor.
My mom was diagnosed with fourth stage metastatic breast cancer when she was 57 years old. I was just shy of my 21st birthday. I remember vividly taking a walk with her in the brisk cold April Wisconsin weather just after she was diagnosed. I can remember the exact coat and hat she was wearing. Her doctors had told her to just go home and enjoy the last month of her life with her family. She was talking about fighting. She was talking in terms of years. And she was saying if she could just have two more years. She and I agreed that that would be amazing.
And then two years flew by.
I graduated college, started graduate school, bought a house, got engaged.
Two years wasn’t nearly enough. There was no time that would have been enough.
After I became pregnant with Gavin my mom told me all confession style that she had really wanted to live just to see me get pregnant. And then Gavin was here, and just hours later she made her exit. Like once she knew he and I were safe she could succumb and give her body some peace.
Regularly I think to myself, “Okay, now I really need my mom.” As if all the challenges that came before were just a rehearsal compared to this current challenge. I mean, I’m totally kidding myself. There was nothing about Elliot that was a dress rehearsal. It’s just that when you are in the current challenge, and the past is the past . . . you get it.
I’ve been having those moments recently. The “Okay, now I really need my mom,” moments. And I just keep thinking that if I can’t have her here, the least I can do for myself is try to be the kid that she would have been proud to have raised. Scratch that. My mom would never have wanted to take credit for my poise, strength, patience with my screaming kids, etc. . . . I want to be the kid that I feel like lives up to the amazing mom that Betty was.
So that was kind of intense for a Friday morning, huh?
Let’s have some Crab Pasta Salad, shall we?
This was one of my mom’s recipes and I LOVE it. It was one of those recipes that meant summer to me. One of those recipes that I would just stand in the door of the fridge and eat out of the container with a fork when I was a teenager, until my mom would walk in and say, “Lisa. Just put some in a bowl for yourself.” Sooooooooo good!
One of the things you are going to love about this recipe is that it is super forgiving. My mom didn’t even use a recipe. The recipe I have from her is like, “a generous squirt of mustard.” So if you don’t really like that much dressing on your pasta salads, just cut back on the yogurt. Don’t like olives? Leave ’em out. No celery? Add some frozen peas instead. You get it.
Make it for your summer picnics and love it year after year!
If you make this recipe leave me a comment letting me know what you think!
I tripled your recipe and was very pleased with the outcome. At the gathering I took it to, the people raved. Thank you.
Crab Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb medium pasta shells
- 1 pound package imitation crab meat cut bite size
- 1 can medium black olives sliced
- 1 medium red bell pepper diced
- 3 or 4 green onions sliced thin about two inches into the green
- 3 stalks of celery diced
Dressing
- 1 1/2 cups plain non fat yogurt see note
- 1/4 cup fat free mayonnaise
- 1/2 TBSP Spike found in the spice aisle (you can also substitute with 1/2 a tablespoon of Old Bay Seasoning)
- 1 tsp celery salt
- 1 TBSP yellow mustard
- 1/2 TBSP soy sauce
- 1/4 cup Italian vinaigrette salad dressing see note
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- In a very large bowl, mix the pasta, crab, olives, red peppers, green onions, and celery.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, mayo, Spike, celery salt, yellow mustard, soy sauce, and salad dressing.
- Pour the dressing over the pasta and veggies and stir to combine. Refrigerate at least two hours before serving.
Notes
did you make this
Crab Pasta Salad
Janelle says
Thank you Lisa for this recipe. Here in Florida, fake crab is a main ingredient in salads and pasta is one of the major food groups for me!
I also appreciated your sharing about your mom. Mine is still here at 92.5 years, however, my sister-in-law lost her mom suddenly in a bike accident Saturday. Whether they linger or it is sudden, it is still never easy to lose a parent, let alone when you have a brand new baby with no manual attached to him.
Thanks again, keep on cooking and sharing please.
Janelle
Thank you so much for these sweet words, Janelle!
Malina Debrie says
Your reflection of the last years with your mother made me cry. Such a sweet reflection of a time when you were there and she was with you just holding on. Thank you for sharing. I am going to try this recipe.
Thank you so much for these sweet words.
Viki Wickstrom says
I don’t have yellow mustard. Can I use honey mustard instead?
I’ve never tried it with honey mustard, but it’s a swap I would definitely make.
Ronni says
Today is my mom’s birthday in Heaven. This is a perfect dinner to celebrate.just need to frost her shamrock cake!❤️☘️🎂
Happiest of birthdays to your mom. I’m sure she is missing you just as much as you are missing her.
Linda Barnes says
First time i saw your App, i’ll try making the crab salad when the weather here in NY get warmer. Thank you, it seems appetizing!
I hope you enjoy it!
Susan says
Your story caught my attention immediately. I lost my mom to cancer at 58 when I was 38. She lived a year after her diagnosis and while it wasn’t enough time, we lived that year! I’m 61 now and I miss her every day. She was the best person I knew and I try to keep her memory alive with my daughters and grandkids. I’m going to try your recipe this weekend. It sounds and looks amazing! May her memory be a blessing.
I’m so sorry to hear about your loss, Susan. It is amazing to me how they can be gone so many years and we still miss them every day. I get it. I hope you enjoy this recipe!
Karin Valentine says
Hi Lisa i made the crab pasta salad and it is a hit a my house i uesed a double amount of the ingredients due to me having a large family . I love crabmeat and Pasta Salad wchich i make often but i never seen or made anything like this one. This will be made again during our 4th of July get together. i love your simple recipes. Take care God bless.
I’m so happy your family liked it!
Janelle says
Hi Lisa,
Have you tried to make the dressing dairy free or used the dairy free yogurts in place of the regular yogurt?
I have not, but I hear your struggle. I’ve had to go dairy free a few times in my life. If you can find a soy yogurt that is plain that you like, I feel confident it will work in this recipe. The key is that is isn’t too thick (like Greek yogurt can be).
Gloria says
I’m not a fan of vinegar can I use package Italian mix with Lemon juice instead?
I haven’t tried that. If you give it a go, let me now how it is.
Fran says
I’m making this for a potluck luncheon tomorrow and wondered if the dressing should be put on in the morning or today. Don’t want soggy salad!
Thanks
I would keep everything separated until the day of.