Grilled Stuff Pasta Salad

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Nutritional Info
  • Servings Per Recipe: 6
  • Amount Per Serving
  • Calories: 432.4
  • Total Fat: 17.7 g
  • Cholesterol: 55.5 mg
  • Sodium: 496.4 mg
  • Total Carbs: 50.2 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 2.6 g
  • Protein: 20.7 g

View full nutritional breakdown of Grilled Stuff Pasta Salad calories by ingredient


Introduction

We make a "mixed grill" on Sundays, meaning that (weather permitting) we grill off meats and vegetables for several days' worth of meals or for the freezer...
This decadent pasta salad utilizes some of those grilled items and incorporates fresh greens!
It may be very tempting to add cheese, but this mixed salad is better without it!
We make a "mixed grill" on Sundays, meaning that (weather permitting) we grill off meats and vegetables for several days' worth of meals or for the freezer...
This decadent pasta salad utilizes some of those grilled items and incorporates fresh greens!
It may be very tempting to add cheese, but this mixed salad is better without it!

Number of Servings: 6

Ingredients

    10 oz pasta (I prefer penne regata, but use your favorite pasta salad variety), cooked al dente
    2 each grilled chicken thighs, skin and bone removed after cooking, chopped/pulled
    2 each grilled chicken legs, skin and bone removed after cooking, chopped/pulled
    1/2 cup chopped grilled zucchini
    .25 cup chopped grilled red pepper
    .25 cup chopped grilled red onion
    2 tbsp pesto sauce (Biuttoni makes an easy one)
    3 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
    2 cups fresh arugula

    Rich Vinaigrette:
    3 tbsp mustard
    1 tbsp honey
    1/4 cup champagne or cider vinegar
    1/4 cup oil (i use a combination of olive and canola oil)


    salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water. Meanwhile, shred chicken and chop grilled vegetables.
Drain the pasta and return it to the cook pot. Add pesto at this time and fold it in to coat the pasta. Reheat the chicken and vegetables, then toss those in to the pasta.
Make vinaigrette by combining all ingredients into a blender or small food processor... blend until it comes together nicely, 30 seconds? it will emulsify. Add salt to taste. You'll want it to be pretty salty, considering that it's a big flavor component. Try tasting the dressing plain and then with a leaf of arugula (you may be surprised how much salt makes a difference).
Add half of the fresh arugula and half of the vinaigrette then toss for even distribution.
Refrigerate until serving time.

At serving time (either immediately after making, for hot-ish pasta or after hours of refrigeration,) add pine nuts, remaining cup of fresh arugula, and remainder of vinaigrette to the salad and toss together.
Enjoy!

Serving Size: makes six (6) 1-cup servings

Number of Servings: 6

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user PENNYBME.