Thursday, April 9, 2015

Chicken Club Pasta Salad


So I had this yummy pasta salad a couple years ago at my friend Angela's and we've been making it ever since. I'm looking forward to summer cooking! I love barbecuing, eating outside, and being able to serve a cold salad and call it dinner. This is one of my favorite summer dinners.  A cool, filling pasta for a hot day!

I love that the sauce uses avocado and honey to give it a creamy consistency without overusing mayo.  Plus it has bacon in it so even my kiddos will eat this dish despite it's obvious veggies :) It's a great side or main dish.  It makes a huge batch so it's great for parties, picnics and potlucks!  It's very fast quick to throw together and stays fresh for several days in the fridge. So cook it on a Monday and then you can spend the rest of the week at the pool :)

Chicken Club Pasta
1 lb. medium shell pasta (cooked according to package directions)
1 container cherry tomatoes- chopped in half (apx. 1 1/2 cups)
10 slices bacon- cooked and crumbled
2 cups shredded or chopped chicken (I used a rotisserie)
2 cups baby spinach -chopped
1 1/2 cups cheese -cubed (I've used cheddar, pepper jack or colby jack...you can't go wrong)
1 avocado, chopped (optional)
Dressing:
1 lg. avocado -peeled and pitted
1/4 cup lemon juice (I used fresh)
2 T. honey
2 T. Mayo or greek yogurt
3 cloves garlic- minced
salt and pepper -to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Rinse in cold water and drain.  Place pasta in a large mixing bowl.  Add tomatoes, bacon, spinach, chicken and cheese.  You can also add the chopped avocado if you like! Yum!

In a blender combine avocado, lemon juice, honey, mayo, garlic, salt and pepper.  Blend together until smooth.

Stir avocado mixture into pasta.  Toss together until well combined.  Chill in fridge 2 hours or overnight before serving.


No comments:

Post a Comment