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Summer Pasta Salad With Chicken Pesto

Servings 4
Author Rachael DeVaux

Ingredients

Basil Pesto

  • 2 cups fresh basil leaves
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 3-4 garlic cloves
  • 3 tbsp pine nuts
  • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp pink salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground pepper

Blistered tomatoes

  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt

Chicken Pasta Salad

  • 1 box brown rice penne pasta (I prefer Jovial Foods gluten-free)
  • 2 organic chicken breasts (grilled, or cooked to your preferred method)
  • 1 cup sundried tomatoes (preserved in olive oil)
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil
  • 1 cup peas
  • ground pepper
  • red chili flakes

Instructions

  • Cook pasta according to instructions. Once cooked, rinse with cold water and set aside to cool.

Basil Pesto

  • Add the basil pesto ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth. Adjust salt, pepper, and lemon juice based on preference.

Blistered Tomatoes

  • Once cherry tomatoes are sliced, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet on medium heat. Once hot, add the sliced cherry tomatoes and 2 crushed garlic cloves. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes blister. Set aside.

Chicken Pasta Salad

  • Chop the sundried tomatoes, fresh basil, and cooked chicken.
  • In a large bowl, toss the cooked and cooled pasta with the pesto. Add the chicken, blistered tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, basil, peas, ground pepper and chili flakes. Toss to combine.
  • Enjoy!