Seafood Pasta Salad With Creamy Strawberry Dressing - cooking recipe

Ingredients

Salad
1 (22 ounce) package small shell pasta
8 ounces small baby shrimp, precooked
8 ounces imitation crabmeat, cut into small pieces
1 small red onion, chopped finely
4 stalks celery, chopped
6 ounces smoked gouda cheese, diced
1 cup walnuts, chopped
3 tablespoons dried tarragon
salt and pepper, to taste
12 strawberries, halved
Dressing
2/3 cup mashed strawberry (about 8-10 medium size strawberries)
1 cup plain yogurt
1 -2 teaspoon sugar (optional)

Preparation

Cook seashell pasta according to package directions and let stand in sink to cool and allow excess water to drain. Place cooled, drained pasta in a large salad bowl.
Add the shrimp, crab, onion, celery, cheese, walnuts, tarragon and salt and pepper to the pasta. With a large spoon, gently mix the salad ingredients until well blended.
With a potato masher. mash about 8 medium-size strawberries until you have 2/3 cup of mashed strawberries. (You can also puree them in a food processor if you want a thinner dressing.) Add yogurt and mix well. Then add 1-2 teaspoons or more (if desired) of sugar to reach desired sweetness. Stir well.
Add the creamy strawberry dressing to the salad mixture, and blend thoroughly with a large spoon. Chill until ready to serve.
For added color, garnish the top of the salad with any remaining strawberry halves.