I think I am finally feeling caught up after my busy weekend. I have groceries in the house, laundry is caught up (well, I could do another load now), the floor is vacuumed, and my kitchen is in good shape. We have had doctors appointments this week, football practice, and a big report my 1st grader has been working on. Needless to say, I am ready for the weekend! Too bad it is only Thursday 🙁
Remember awhile ago when I made that Greek Vinaigrette dressing? This is one of the things I did with it. It was so good. I marinated the chicken in some of the dressing, and then I grilled it. Then I used the vinaigrette again as the dressing for the pasta salad. I ate this hot and the leftovers cold, it was great both ways. It was supposed to have black olives in it. I even had them out on the counter, but forgot to put them in! I do not like Feta, but if you do, it would be a great addition and make this even more Greek. As for the avocados….I have no idea if they are Greek. I just like them, so I put them in.
This would be a great side dish for your summer barbeque or to bring to a pot luck. I would just leave out the meat, and it would be equally delicious!
- 1 pound short-cut pasta
- 1 cup cucumber , diced
- 1 avocado , diced
- 1 cup grape tomatoes (I just diced what I had on hand)
- 1/2 cup black olives
- 1 large chicken breast
- Feta (optional)
- Greek Vinaigrette (recipe here)
- In a resealable plastic storage bag place chicken and 3 Tbls of vinaigrette. Let marinade for 20-30 minutes. Not any longer, because there is so much lemon it will start to break down the chicken.
- Heat grill to medium-high heat. Grill chicken for about 6 minutes a side, until fully cooked. Dice chicken and set aside.
- Boil water to cook pasta as directed on the box. Chop the veggies, and place in a large bowl. Drain pasta well, and add to veggies. Toss in the cooked chicken. Add about 1/4 cup of vinaigrette. Stir until well coated. You can add more vinaigrette if needed. Top with Feta cheese if desired.
Erin S
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Kim Bee says
May 3, 2012 at 10:30 pmCan you come catch up on my laundry? I’ll give you baked goods in return. This is a wonderful pasta salad recipe Erin. I love how pretty it looks. The avocado is a nice touch. Love it.
Suzanne says
May 4, 2012 at 8:23 amFantastic salad to take to a BBQ or potluck, I know the chicken was great marinated and grilled too. I’ve got to try this out , thanks Erin 🙂
Lemons and Anchovies says
May 4, 2012 at 9:26 amGreat idea to use the dressing as a marinade and don’t feel bad about forgetting the olives–I do stuff like that all the time, LOL! Your salad looks beautiful and tasty even without them. 🙂
Stephanie @ Eat. Drink. Love. says
May 5, 2012 at 8:03 amGreek and pasta salad! Sounds pretty great to me! 🙂
Alyssa says
May 10, 2012 at 6:17 amI thought when you made the dressing that it would work well for pasta salad! This looks perfect for summer time!