Protein Pasta Salad with Zesty Italian Vinaigrette
A protein packed pasta salad filled with roasted veggies and tossed in a zesty homemade vinaigrette.
Ingredients
- 1 box short chickpea pasta such as penne
- 1.5 pounds trimmed chicken breast
- 2 tbsp olive oil for coating plus more for skillet
- 1 tbsp dried oregeno
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tbs salt
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/2 red onion diced
- 1 head cauliflower cut into florets or bag of tri color florets
- 1 pound asparagus chopped into 1 inch pieces
Zesty Italian Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp dried oregeno
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
Instructions
For the chicken
- Cut the chicken breast into bite size cubes and place in a resealable bag. Add the olive oil, dried oregano, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and salt to the bag of chicken and coat the chicken evenly.Heat a skillet on medium heat with oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Working in batches, put the marinated chicken in the hot skillet. Leave the chicken still for about 3-5 minutes to form a good crust on one side. Once the chicken is brown on one side, flip the pieces over to cook on the other side. This will take about 3 more minutes. Set aside until ready to assemble.
For the pasta salad
- Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the box and drain. Set this aside.
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Separately, coat the cauliflower florets and asparagus with olive oil and a little flaked sea salt.Roast the vegetables in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, tossing at the halfway mark. While the vegetables are roasting, dice the red onion and cut the cherry tomatoes in half.In a large bowl, put in the cooked pasta and toss with the homemade dressing. Taste at this point and see if you need to add more salt. Once the pasta is coated and flavored how you like, add the cooked chicken and the raw and roasted vegetables to the bowl of dressed pasta. Carefully toss everything together.If using, add the feta to the bowl now.
For the vinaigrette
- In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients for the dressing. Whisk together until completely combined.