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
Chamar says
Could you use shrimp instead of crab
Yes! That would work well!
Tiffany says
Good evening! Can fresh snow crab legs be used?
Thank you!
Tiffany
Certainly they could Tiffany, but I wouldn’t recommend it. It won’t hold up well in this recipe. If you are against using fake crab, then I would suggest shrimp.
Tonya says
Where can I find “Spike”? I’ve check with three grocery stores and people look at me like I’m nuts. I can’t even explain to them what it is because I’ve never heard of it before this recipe. You said I could use Old Bay but I haven’t heard of that one either. HELP!
Oh no!! So you can order Spike and Old Bay on Amazon, but that seems a bit extreme. I would check with stores for Old Bay (it’s a seasoning used in a lot of cooking with seafood). If you can’t find that, you can search on google for a reacipe for Spike or Old Bay. I know you can make both at home, they are just seasoning mixes.
Kate says
I bet this would also be tasty with shrimp or leftover lobster in place of the crabmeat.
I bet it would be too!
Lori Emery says
Can anything be subbed for mayo?
I haven’t tried subbing anything, but if I were going to, I would maybe start with sour cream and see how the dressing takes before tossing it with the whole salad.
Betty says
Hello Lisa,
I just came across this recipe being shared on Facebook. I thought it sounded good so followed the link. I never realized I would end up reading someone else’s story that would so deeply touch my heart & leave me in tears of love, joy, and pain. I would like to share my story with you as well.
My mother was a wonderful baker as well who never used a recipe either. I have a biscuit recipe she used to make that is awesome. My mother was diagnosed with 2 Melanoma tumors in her brain when I was 13yo (I was an only-child). She had surgery, chemo, & radiation to help buy some time (though it was a losing battle at that point). She passed away exactly 1 month before her 51st birthday & 3 weeks before my 15th. 2 years later, I met my husband who I married 2 months after our high school graduation… on her birthday (my husband’s choice for our wedding day). We will celebrate our 26 anniversary this year, which was also the number of the last anniversary my parent’s had. I have 4 boys, my own home, & 63 chickens (we had some when I was little & she loved them, but was also allergic to them!) lol. She never got to meet my husband or any of her grandsons, but I am secure in knowing that she will in Heaven some day. The part that got the tears going was when your mother (with whom I proudly share the name, Betty), got to see your son. Thank you for sharing your story…. and your mother’s wonderful recipe!
Betty Libbey
Gladwin, MI
Oh, Betty. Thank you for taking the time to tell me your story. I am so sorry you lost your mom, but grateful there are kind souls in the world like you who know what it is to try to adult without your amazing mom.
Brandi Mills says
I noticed that the recipe says “Italian Vinaigrette Salad Dressing” but in the recipe notes, you put that your mom used “Seven Seas Viva Italian”. I know there is a difference in a regular Italian dressing and a vinaigrette as a vinaigrette is thinner and has more of a vinager/tart flavor. It seems like the Seven Seas one is a “regular” Italian dressing with oil (and maybe some vinegar but not a full “viniagrette), but i could be wrong. I think that is what someone meant when they asked if they could use “regular Italian Dressing” . Can you verify if you are using a true Vinaigrette or just “Italian Dressing” (but not the creamy kind -we know that for sure). thanks!
Honestly, Brandi, I have used both kinds and they both work great. The more generic thicker is what you will see in the video, the Seven Seas is thinner and also works wonderful!
Aileen says
Lucky you to have such a wonderful relationship with your mom, I am also lucky and I cherish it everyday. May your mom live on in all that you do!
Thank you Aileen!
Kirsten says
Absolutely delicious. What a lovely tribute to your mother. I have recipes that my mom used to make that I call comfort food–literally. We keep our loved ones alive through the making and sharing of recipes. God Bless you and know that your mother is always close by. I feel my mom sometimes and it is a great comfort to me. Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipe!
Thank you so much for your kind words Kirsten!
Kelly says
Hi Lisa
I agree with Kirsten about how we keep our loved ones with us with recipes. I tried this pasta today and my family loved it. My hubby ate me pasta than meat and he is a meatitarian. He was stuffed but wanted to eat more. Needless to say I will definitely be making this some more this summer. Thank you and your mom for this wonderful recipe!
Thank you Kelly!