SPICY CRAB PASTA SALAD

Spicy Crab Pasta Salad image

Provided by Dawn Whitted

Categories Seafood

Time 35m

Number Of Ingredients 14

3 c pasta, cooked (elbow, bow tie or other salad pasta)
1/2 c canned coleslaw spicy
1 c mayonnaise, light
1 Tbsp yellow mustard
2 Tbsp spicy sweet mustard or course ground mustard
1/4 c creamy salad dressing italian/ranch
3 Tbsp dill pickle relish or diced dill pickles
2 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp white vinegar
1 Tbsp mrs. dash herb garlic blend
1 Tbsp black pepper
12oz pkg immitation crab, diced
1 c block cheese, diced (cheddar, colby, jack)

Steps:

1. Bring 4 qts water to a boil and add pasta. Cook according to package directions until pasta is al dente approximately 9-11 minutes, drain and rinse with cold water.
2. Add spicy canned coleslaw (optional) to pasta and chill for 30 minutes to an hour. *See Evelyn Horsley's Canned Cole Slaw Recipe on JAP - to make it spicy I simply followed the recipe and added 2 finely sliced or chopped jalepenos and 2 finely diced serrano peppers to the batch before canning into jars.
3. For the sauce: In a mixing bowl combine all remaining ingredients except crab & cheese. Refrigerate covered until you are ready to put the salad together. *Spicy Sweet Mustard - There are lots of mustards on the market so either purchase one or I made my own version taking a little of JAP'ers Evelyn Horsley's & Dana Ramsey's spicy pepper mustard recipes adding honey or sugar and making some adjustments to my taste.
4. After all has been chilled add 3/4 of the sauce to the pasta and mix well. Add 2-3 Tablespoons of milk or water to the remaining sauce and mix well then pour into pasta and stir. This just makes it so the sauce isn't so thick.
5. Add cubed cheeses of your choice and finely chopped immitation crab and combine well. Garnish with green onion if you like
6. You may serve this immediatly but I really prefer to chill this salad for at least another hour to let the flavors marry. **Not a spicy person just use regular course ground mustard in the sauce and don't put the spicy in your canned coleslaw.