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
Millie Neel says
Hi Lisa, found your recipe on Facebook. Have you ever made this with real crab meat instead of imitation? Being a Marylander don’t eat imitation crab., we’ re a little crab snobby.
I read your post about your Mom. I was fortunate to have my Mom until I was 52, she died 4 years ago at 85. Wasn’t expected, she didn’t tell anyone she was sick but I think she knew. We lived in different states and I would talk to her for hours when I traveled for work. I miss her all the time and I don’t like the car tripsanymore.
Millie, I totally get the crab snobbery. I’m that way about some other things. So, I wouldn’t actually recommend making it with real crab meat because I don’t think it would hold up in this pasta salad. Maybe some miniature shrimp would work instead! I’m so sorry to hear about your mom. I had a 45 minute commute home from work the year my mom was dying and I talked to her several times of week. Even though I miss calling her for EVERYTHING I’m so grateful for that god awful commute because of all the extra conversations it gave us that year.
Sharon says
Can full fat mayo be used instead of fat free mayo?
Totally.
diane says
why not greek yogurt? what does it do to the consistency? also can you use sour cream non fat instead of yogurt?
The greek yogurt is too thick and makes the dressing pasty instead of creamy. You could try sour cream. I haven’t made it that way yet, so I can’t speak personally to how it would taste/turn out.
Linda parr says
Thank you so much for sharing your sweet story! I’m sure she would never proud of you! I just know it! I’m making this tomorrow and lifting you up in prayer! Thank you
Linda
Oh, thank you so much Linda!
Margie says
This is the best blog post I have read in a long time. What a touching story! (And I totally plan on making this crab salad next week!)
Oh, thank you so much Margie. That is such a great compliment to get as a blogger!
Regina says
Can I just use regular Italian dressing
Hi Regina! I’m not sure what you mean by “regular” Italian dressing. You are looking for one that is oil and vinegar based as opposed to a creamy dressing. I hope that helps.
Cris says
This was perfect. I’m making it again to take for July 4th. I didn’t have Spike seasoning but I found this recipe online. http://lpfretired.blogspot.com/2012/08/lindas-copykat-spike-seasoning-mix.html
In addition to the ingredients I added 1/2 teaspoon of garam masala since the ingredients on the back of spike also included coriander, cinnamon and fenugreek.
Thanks for a really recipe so happy I found your blog.
Ginette says
Hi .. this looks delish .. i assume the Spike spices are American .. do you what I could buy in Canada pls? Thank you in advance!
You could try Old Bay
Ruth says
Lisa,
I have never responded or to be honest read someones’ story before but I think there is a reason I fell unto yours. I too lost my mother to cancer. I was 12 years old and her name was Betty. It is not a name you hear very often so I felt an immediate connection to your story. I don’t think the missing ever stops but somehow you always know that her presence and spirit are always around you and your children.
Oh Ruth, well I’m so glad you decided to read and comment here. I agree. The missing really doesn’t stop. You just kind of learn to live with it. Thank you for sharing your story with me!
Janet Smith says
I don’t care for imitation crab.. I would use claw crab in the can.. it is little expense but worth it .. it make a statement with fresh dungeon crab.