Pasta Salad Cranberry Vinaigrette (Print)

A fresh pasta blend with chicken, vegetables, and a tangy cranberry vinaigrette dressing.

# Ingredients:

→ Pasta & Protein

01 - 10 oz rotini pasta
02 - 2 cups cooked chicken breast, diced or shredded (about 8.8 oz)

→ Vegetables

03 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
04 - 1 cup cucumber, diced
05 - ½ cup red bell pepper, diced
06 - ¼ cup red onion, finely chopped
07 - 2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped

→ Cranberry Vinaigrette

08 - ⅓ cup leftover cranberry sauce
09 - 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
10 - 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
11 - 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup (optional)
12 - 1 tsp Dijon mustard
13 - ½ tsp salt
14 - ¼ tsp black pepper

→ Garnishes (optional)

15 - ¼ cup toasted pecans or walnuts, chopped
16 - 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

# Directions:

01 - Boil rotini in a large pot of salted water according to package directions until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool.
02 - In a large bowl, mix the cooled pasta, cooked chicken, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red bell pepper, red onion, and baby spinach.
03 - Whisk together cranberry sauce, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey if using, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper in a small bowl until smooth and emulsified.
04 - Pour the vinaigrette over the salad mixture and toss gently to evenly coat all ingredients.
05 - Taste and modify seasoning as needed. Optionally, sprinkle toasted nuts and chopped parsley before serving.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen when you actually spent twenty minutes.
  • Those few pantry staples suddenly become a dinner that makes people ask for seconds.
  • The cranberry vinaigrette is addictive enough that you'll find yourself drizzling it on everything for the next week.
02 -
  • Keep the vinaigrette separate if you're making this ahead; it will soften the pasta and wilt the spinach if they sit together for hours.
  • The cranberry sauce needs to be smooth enough to whisk—if yours is very chunky, give it a quick blend with a fork first.
03 -
  • Toast your own nuts if you have five minutes; it transforms them from pleasant to unmissable.
  • A tiny pinch of smoked paprika in the vinaigrette adds a whisper of something the guest list will notice but not name.
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