Whole Wheat Pasta Salad

This whole wheat pasta salad recipe with chicken and veggies is delicious and makes great leftovers! Pin it here.

I have a confession to make… I actually don’t love cooking every day… eek! So making meals I can make once and eat over and over again is essential! This whole wheat pasta salad filled with chicken and tons of veggies is one of those meals, and the flavor never gets old!

Whole Wheat Pasta Salad

This power-packed pasta has lean chicken breast, lots of vegetables, and whole grain noodles. It’s chock-full of vitamins, minerals, fiber and protein! Both broccoli and bell pepper (red) are good sources of vitamin C, potassium, and vitamin A, and both are fair sources of folate. Zucchini offers potassium, vitamin A and folate.

French Vinaigrette Dressing

When I first started making this recipe, I just used a store-bought French vinaigrette dressing, but now I’m making my own. French vinaigrette dressing is usually made with a 3:1 ratio of oil to acid. I made my own to cut down on the calories using a 2:1 ratio of oil to acid. You can totally simplify this recipe by using a store-bought French vinaigrette instead!

Tips for Success with this Whole Wheat Pasta Salad

Best case scenario, chop everything before you start. I’m definitely not a wizard at doing this every time, but honestly you will have a hard time having everything hot at the same time if you don’t! If you don’t chop ahead of time, it’s not the end of the world; you can just pop it all in the microwave before service.

This recipe keeps really well! You can keep its leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days. 

How to Serve this Whole Wheat Pasta Salad

You’ve got options!

• Serve it hot or cold
• Serve it stand-alone as a meal with fruit for dessert
• Serve it as a side dish for a potluck

As always, I hope you love this recipe! It’s one of my favorites!

Are you a pasta lover?

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Whole Wheat Pasta Salad

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Total Time 25 mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine French

Servings 5 servings

Calories 286 kcal

Ingredients

  

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Pasta

• 2 c (dry) whole wheat fusilli noodles (bow tie or penne work well too)
• 1/2 chicken breast
• 1 zucchini squash, chopped
• 1 head broccoli florets
• 1/2 bell pepper, chopped
• salt & pepper to taste

Dressing

• 1/4 c avocado oil (or olive oil)
• 1 juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1/8 c red wine vinegar

Instructions

 

• Prepare whole wheat noodles following package instructions.
• While noodles are cooking, boil the chicken, steam the broccoli and sauté the zucchini squash. To boil the chicken: fill a pan with enough water to cover the chicken and boil on high until chicken is cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F. To steam the broccoli: can use a steamer, steam insert on the stovetop, or use broccoli in a steamable bag. To sauté the zucchini squash: Sauté on medium heat in 1 tsp oil, salt and pepper to taste, and optional seasoning (I like a dash of McCormick's Steak seasoning). Remove all from heat once cooked.
• Add the cooked noodles and sautéed zucchini squash to a large bowl.
• Once chicken is cooked through, shred into bite-sized pieces by pulling apart with two forks.
• Once broccoli is steamed, chop it into small bite-sized pieces.
• Add pulled apart chicken and steamed broccoli to the large bowl. Add raw, chopped bell pepper to the bowl.
• Prepare dressing by mixing together avocado oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, oregano and thyme. (You can mix this in a bowl with a whisk or fork, or shake it in a mason jar or protein shaker cup).
• Toss chicken, pasta and veggie mixture with dressing. Serve hot or cold.

Notes

1. One chicken breast half = one half of one full (both breasts) chicken breast. This should be ~4 oz of chicken.
2. Alternative to making dressing from scratch is using 1/2 c French vinaigrette.
3. If you had a hard time getting all the ingredients cooked and kept warm at the same time (this happens to me if I don't chop everything ahead of time!), this recipe microwaves well! Just microwave for a minute or so before service.

Nutrition

Sodium: 106mgSugar: 3gFiber: 5gPotassium: 445mgCholesterol: 19mgCalories: 286kcalMonounsaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 2gFat: 14gProtein: 13gCarbohydrates: 26g

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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