Classic Pasta Salad
If I’m being honest, my favorite part of summer BBq’s is always all of the yummy sides. I love just making a big plate of random yummy things like grilled veggies, chips and guac, cheeses and all the salads. Pasta salad has always been one of my favorites growing up. But more traditional store bought pasta salads tend to be filled with mayonnaise and have little to no nutritional value.
I wanted to change that! So one day I had a bunch of leftover grilled chicken and fresh veggies in the fridge. I always have my favorite Banza pasta on hand and so I thought, “why don’t I make a pasta salad?!” This recipe is seriously so simple and can be thrown together for any bbq or even meal prepped for lunches or dinners for the week in under 20 minutes! This recipe is gluten free, and can be made dairy and meat free too (just remove the feta cheese and chicken).
As always, I would love to hear your thoughts and your photos if you try this recipe!
XO, Tati
Classic Pasta Salad
INGREDIENTS:
FOR THE SALAD:
1 box of Banza Rotini pasta (cooked and cooled)
1 cup of quartered English or Persian cucumbers
1 cup of halved cherry tomatoes
1/2 medium avocado, diced
1/2 cup of fresh feta cheese
2 cups of diced cooked chicken
2 cups of greens (I suggest waiting to add these until you’re ready to serve)
Salt + Pepper
FOR THE DRESSING:
1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. dried oregano
Salt + Pepper
DIRECTIONS:
Cook and cool the pasta according to box directions.
Slice all the veggies and add them to the bowl with the cheese and cooled pasta.
Combine all of the ingredients for the dressing in a food processor or blender and blend to combine.
Once ready to serve, add the dressing to the pasta and other ingredients and mix to combine.