Description
This chicken pesto tortellini salad combines cheese tortellini, grilled chicken, sautéed zucchini, and fresh spinach in a creamy basil pesto dressing. It’s a flavorful yet light Italian-inspired dish perfect served warm or chilled for any season.
Ingredients
Instructions
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook tortellini 3–5 minutes until al dente. Drain and toss with a drizzle of olive oil.
2. Season chicken with salt and pepper and grill or pan sear over medium-high heat until cooked through. Let rest, then chop.
3. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and sauté zucchini slices 2 minutes per side until tender. Squeeze lemon juice over zucchini.
4. In a large bowl combine cooled tortellini, chopped chicken, sautéed zucchini, and spinach. Add half the pesto and fold gently, then add remaining pesto to coat.
5. Sprinkle Parmesan over the salad, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, and serve warm or chill for 30 minutes before serving.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: salad
- Method: boil, grill, sauté, toss
- Cuisine: italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 3
- Sodium: 600
- Fat: 18
- Saturated Fat: 4
- Unsaturated Fat: 12
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 50
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 25
- Cholesterol: 60
Keywords: chicken pesto salad, tortellini salad, pasta salad, zucchini spinach salad, creamy pesto salad, italian salad