Grannie used to make this for us as kids when we visited with her over the summer. Besides open-faced bologna and cheese sandwiches with chicken and stars soup, it is the one food that evokes memories of my Grannie. I've updated the recipe to add more ingredients, veggies and the like, but it still reminds me of her every time I make it.
This makes a huge portion - great to take for a pot luck, or have for company.
​Easy to make in advance and pull out when everyone is ready to eat.

Upgrade Tools Needed

  • Large Mixing Bowl
  • Mini-Food Processor (recommended, but not necessary)
  • Pasta Pot, or 2 pots. At a minimum you need 1 large pot and can reheat the water each time.

Ingredients

  • Shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 2 packages of fresh dill
  • Jalapeño, 1 or more to taste
  • Cherry Totatoes, 1 package
  • Cucumber, 2
  • 1 bag of Elbow Pasta
  • Italian Dressing, full fat you want the oil not the sugar
  • Mayonnaise
  • Salt

Directions

  1. Cook pasta as directed.
  2. If using a pasta pot, remove strainer basket, wait for most of the water to drain, and then add pasta to large mixing bowl., If not, use colander and another pot to drain water into and return to heat.
    Alternatively, heat a new batch of water in the pot once you've drained the pasta. 
  3. While warm, add 1/4 cup of Italian dressing and mix to combine. Set aside to cool.
  4. Cook shrimp in pasta water, until they just turn pink and curl. Time will depend on the size of shrimp you buy. Drain into colander and rinse with cold water to stop cooking. Set aside.
    Another option would be to grill or pan fry the shrimp so you didn't have to heat the water a second time.
  5. Half and core the seeds from jalapeño.  Finely chop, or use mini-food processor.
  6. Chop dill very finely. I like the flavor but don't want to fell like I am eating grass. If you know how much jalapeño you like, feel free to chop both in the mini-food processor at the same time.
  7. Quarter cherry tomatoes. Set aside.
  8. Half and core the cucumbers. Slice into half moons, or half again and make wedges. Set aside.
  9. Once pasta is completely cool, add dill, cucumbers and tomatoes. Start with 1 TBSP of mayonnaise and mix to combine. Increase amount until you get the desired creaminess. Add salt, pepper and jalapeño to taste.
  10. Top with shrimp, and enjoy.
Customize to your tastes:
  • Add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Remove veggies you don't like, add those you do.
  • Change out the protein, or remove it altogether.

Packaging the Leftovers, and Reheating

  • This tends to stay in my fridge as a big bowl, and I dish my meals from it as I go, adding more salt and pepper If I want.
  • ​This is a cold dish, so it makes for a very easy meal to take to work. Just portion up what you want to take, and off you go!
  • I've never had the leftovers last too long in my fridge. I get a craving for this dish and don't mind eating it every day for a week. I have tried to freeze a small portion, and it lost moisture on thawing out the second time. It was not worth eating, so I do not recommend saving the leftovers long term.
​last updated 11/19/2021
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