Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad

5 from 1 votes

Get the party started with this simple and tasty Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad. Perfect for any occasion, this pasta salad is sure to be a hit with its flavorful combination of ingredients.

Prep Time20

Course: Chicken Recipes, Pasta Recipes, Salad Recipes, Side Dishes

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken, mozzarella, pasta, pasta salad, salad

Servings: servings

Calories: 199kcal

Author: Trisha Haas - Salty Side Dish

Equipment

Very large mixing bowl

Ingredients

16 oz. Rotini Pasta
salt
8 oz. mascarpone cheese
1 cup jarred Basil Pasta Sauce
2 cups fresh spinach leaves
2 cups chicken breast cooked and cubed
½ cup bacon cooked and chopped
1 cup grape tomatoes quartered
8 oz. mozzarella pearls or sliced and quartered mozzarella

Instructions

Before starting, please note that this dish relies on already cooked and cubed chicken and cooked and chopped bacon.
Cook pasta according to package directions in salted water. Be generous with the salt. One pasta is al dente, drain but do not rinse. Set cooked pasta aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine mascarpone cheese and jarred pesto sauce. Mix well.
Stir in warm rotini pasta. The pasta will make the mix ooey gooey and help the flavors meld.
Stir in fresh spinach leaves until it is wilted, about 2 minutes or so.
Add cooked and cubed chicken and crumbled or chopped bacon and mix well.
Fold in quartered tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. Serve warm or cover and cool until ready to serve.

Notes

This pasta salad can be served warm or cooled and served. Due to the addition of pesto chicken, it makes a great dinner OR a hearty side dish.

Mix up the ingredients by adding favorite vegetables or switching out pasta types. See full article for pasta suggestions.

Nutrition