Pasta salad is a popular American dish. Served cold, it's something people often take to lunch since it doesn't require any heating and can be made in advance. Cooking with white balsamic vinegar is something I started doing recently, and it's a great ingredient for when red balsamic vinegar is too strong. I highly recommend using 100 percent lemon juice, and not from concentrate lemon juice for all of your recipes since it tastes so much better. I even like Santa Cruz lemon juice better than fresh-squeezed. You can use any pasta you want, but Aldi recently had red lentil pasta, so that's what I used. Red lentil pasta can also be found at Trader Joe's.

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Shrimp and Red Lentil Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

• 56 g (2 oz) dry red lentil penne pasta
• 90 g (3.25 oz) raw frozen shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 50 g (about 1/3 cup) cucumber, sliced and halved
• 30 g (about 1/4 cup) mixed grape tomatoes, sliced thin (red, orange, and yellow)
• 20 g (about 1/8 small) red onion, thinly sliced
• 28 g (2 tbsp) crumbled feta cheese
• 15 g (1 tbsp) extra virgin olive oil
• 15 g (1 tbsp) white balsamic vinegar
• 15 g (1 tbsp) 100% lemon juice
• 1 tsp all-purpose seasoning (such as Bragg 24 Herbs & Spices Seasoning or Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute)
• 1 tsp dried dill
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Thin shavings of Parmesan cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler from a block.

Procedure:

• 1. Boil red lentil pasta in salted water until al dente, using boiling times on box. Drain and rinse under cold water to chill.
• 2. Meanwhile, preheat oven or air fryer to 400°F (200°C). Thaw shrimp under cold running water if frozen, then pat dry with paper towels.
• 3. Toss shrimp with a pinch of salt, pepper, and a bit of your all-purpose seasoning if desired. Place shrimp in a single layer on a baking sheet or in the air fryer basket.
• 4. Bake or air fry for 4-6 minutes, or until shrimp are pink, opaque, and reach an internal temperature of 145-150°F (63-66°C). Remove immediately to prevent overcooking.
• 5. In a bowl, combine cooked pasta, cooked shrimp, cucumber, grape tomatoes, and red onion.
• 6. Add crumbled feta, olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, all-purpose seasoning, dried dill, salt, and pepper.
• 7. Toss gently to combine.
• 8. Top with shaved Parmesan.
• 9. Chill the pasta salad in the refrigerator before serving.