Spinach and Pasta Salad

Submitted by Lauriann Mosillami

"I got this recipe from Pampered chef. It is a wonderful light salad, even the kids ate it! The dressing tastes better if made ahead and allowed to "meld" the flavors."

 

• Ready In: 30mins
• Ingredients: 16
• Serves: 12

ingredients

• Dressing

• 4.92 ml finely chopped peeled gingerroot
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 118.29 ml rice vinegar or 118.29 ml white wine vinegar
• 59.14 ml orange juice
• 59.14 ml vegetable oil
• 4.92 ml sesame oil
• 35.43 g envelope Lipton Recipe Secrets onion soup mix
• 9.85 ml sugar

• Salad

• 226.79 g uncooked bow tie pasta
• 1 cucumber, scored seeded,and sliced
• 118.29 ml diced red bell pepper
• 118.29 ml coarsely chopped red onion
• 170.09 g package baby spinach leaves
• 311.84 g can mandarin orange segments, drained
• 473.18 ml diced cooked chicken
• 118.29 ml sliced almonds, toasted

directions

1. For dressing finely chop gingeroot.
2. Whisk gingeroot, garlic, vinegar, orange juice, vegetable oil, sesame oil, soup mix and sugar.
3. Cover.
4. Refrigerate until ready to use.
5. For salad, cook pasta according to package directions drain and rinse under cold water.
6. Place pasta in large bowl.
7. Meanwhile score cucumber, remove seeds slice and cut slices in half.
8. Dice bell pepper, coarsley chop onion.
9. Add cucumber, bell pepper, onion, mandarin oranges, chicken and almonds to pasta.
10. Pour dressing over salad and toss.
11. Serve immediately.

Reviews

[KateL]

4 Stars, very tasty, someone demanded the recipe as soon as I mixed it together. The spinach should be mixed with the pasta in Step 9. To serve at work, I stored the pasta, cucumber, red bell pepper and onion in a large locking bag, and stored each of the following in a separate sandwich locking bag: chicken, drained mandarin oranges, toasted slivered almonds. I carried my container of spinach separately, and the dressing separately. Best to consume all at one sitting; spinach will deteriorate fast once mixed in. Made for My 3 Chefs Spring 2008.