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Original video by @applesauceandadhd — all credit to the creator.

Jessica Secrest

Sun-Dried Tomato Tortellini Pasta Salad with Grilled Chicken

Cheese tortellini tossed in a bright sun-dried tomato pesto dressing with mozzarella pearls, baby spinach, and hot-off-the-grill chicken. Cold salad, warm chicken, and a baguette on the side make it taste like summer.

Italian-Americanpasta saladtortellinigrilled chickensun-dried tomatosummer

Ingredients

For the chicken

  • —chicken breasts · boneless
  • —sun-dried tomato pesto · a healthy scoop
  • —avocado oil

For the dressing

  • 2 dollopssun-dried tomato pesto · healthy dollops
  • —oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes
  • —olive oil · a little extra
  • —salt
  • —black pepper
  • 1/2lemon, juiced · she started with one lemon but used only half since it was especially juicy
  • —Parmesan cheese · freshly grated

For the salad

  • —dried cheese tortellini · cooked, rinsed, and cooled
  • —fresh mozzarella pearls
  • —sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
  • a couple handfulsbaby spinach · however much your family will eat
  • —baguette · for serving

Steps

  1. 1

    Put the chicken in a zip-top bag with a healthy scoop of sun-dried tomato pesto and a splash of avocado oil. Massage the bag to coat, then refrigerate to marinate. Wash your hands after handling raw chicken.

  2. 2

    Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the dried cheese tortellini. Rinse under cold water to stop the cooking and let it cool completely — this is a cold salad.

  3. 3

    Make the dressing right in the large bowl you'll mix everything in: two healthy dollops of sun-dried tomato pesto, the oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes, a little extra olive oil, salt, black pepper, the juice of half a lemon, and a good grating of Parmesan. Stir together and set aside.

  4. 4

    Heat the grill. Grill the marinated chicken until cooked through, washing your hands and tongs after handling the raw meat.

  5. 5

    Add the cooled tortellini to the bowl of dressing, then the mozzarella pearls, sun-dried tomatoes (a little of their oil is fine — it's in the dressing anyway), and a couple handfuls of baby spinach. Toss to coat.

  6. 6

    Chop the hot grilled chicken into chunks and add it to the bowl so the chicken stays hot and everything else stays cold. Serve right away with a baguette.

Creator's notes

Kids ate everything except the tortellini — which the creator says is one of the best parts of the salad. Keep the chicken hot and everything else cold for the best contrast.

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