How to Make a Fresh and Healthy Summer Pasta Salad

You know the saying “sometimes less is more?”  Well, not when it comes to this spectacular summer pasta salad.  The key to its success is primarily by adding as many flavors and textures as possible without overdoing it.  The salad is light on calories as far as pasta salads go, but full on flavor and nutrition.  It’s a great party dish and yet works just as well for a casual Sunday afternoon, on the patio with the family. 

The recipe below makes 4 servings.

You will need:

Whole wheat Penne or spinach Penne pasta – 4 servings

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

5 slices of bacon

1 green bell pepper

¼ cup of diced peperoncini’s

1-tablespoon minced garlic

½ small onion

½ cup of Parmesan cheese

4 string cheeses chopped into chunks

Olive oil

3 tablespoons of peperoncini juice

McCormick’s salad supreme seasoning

Salt and black pepper to taste

Cajun seasoning

Preparation:

To start, you need to season and grill the chicken breasts so they have time to cook before adding them to the salad.  Fresh chicken breasts from the butcher will taste better than frozen ones.  Season each side with ample amounts of Cajun season and black pepper.  Then, grill on a grill pan or using an outdoor grill to ensure maximum flavor from the seasoning.

While the chicken is cooking, place the bacon on a plate sandwiched between several sheets of paper towels.  Then place in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes.  Continue cooking in 30 second to 1-minute increments until bacon is cooked thoroughly.  Cooking it this way ensures that less bacon fat enters the dish and thus cuts down on the amount of calories.

Once the bacon has cooled, cut into small chunks and set aside.  Then return to your chicken until it has finished cooking, then set it aside to let it cool.

The Pasta and Veggies

Next, you want to bring a pot of water to boil and cook the pasta as directed by the package.  As the pasta is cooking, you can start to prep your veggies.  Grab your bell pepper, peperoncini, garlic and onion.  For the bell pepper, you want to dice it up into small bite sized chunks.  Do the same for the onion and the peperoncini.

If you choose to use pre-minced garlic from the supermarket, then just grab a tablespoon of that and set aside with the remainder of your veggies.  If you are using fresh garlic, then you will probably need a few large cloves and a garlic press to get the job done right.

At this point your pasta should be done cooking.  Go ahead and drain the pasta then rinse it with cold water until the pasta is cool.  Transfer the cold pasta to a large bowl so you can add the remainder of the ingredients and have ample room to mix everything without it overflowing.

Next you will want to slice and dice your grilled chicken into small chunks.  Now is the time to add everything together!  Go ahead and throw in your chicken, bacon, veggies, Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese.  Mix thoroughly.

The Dressing

Now you want to add the final ingredients that will act as the dressing.  Coat the pasta mixture generously with olive oil, but don’t saturate it.  A few long drizzles should be good enough.  Then add the peperoncini juice and sprinkle a generous dusting of the McCormick’s Salad Supreme Seasoning. 

Mix thoroughly again until everything seems equally coated with olive oil, juice and seasoning.  Lastly you will add salt and pepper at your discretion.  The generally rule of thumb is light on the salt and heavy on the pepper to ensure the best flavor.

Serving Suggestion

Once everything has been tossed together and looks well-coated, cover the bowl with a lid or foil and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to chill.  This will also allow the flavors to settle throughout the pasta and evenly distribute. 

Remove after 30 minutes and taste test. If anything seems to be lacking, go ahead and add in extra salt or Salad Supreme Seasoning to increase the flavor.  Then serve on plates with your favorite crusty bread or pita chips and enjoy.  For an extra healthy variation, toss with fresh baby spinach before serving to add color and nutrition!