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All I can say about this salad is, "OMG! It was
so good!" That, and it's from
The Complete 15-Minute Gourmet by Paulette Mitchell. I've blogged about this book before, once when I found it (thanks to a fellow blogger), and once when I tried, and totally botched, her
winter squash soup. The recipes from Paulette's book are full of fresh,
real ingredients. Needless to say, I have a very long list of recipes I want to try. And this salad is a keeper.
Pesto Chicken Salad with Red Grapes-Adapted from The 15-Minute Gourmet
Printable Recipefor the pasta:6 oz penne rigate
for the dressing:1/4 cup pesto (she recommends her pesto, I used store-bought)
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper to taste
for the salad:1 1/2 cups shredded, cooked chicken (I used 1 cup)
1 cup coarsely shredded carrots (I used store-bought matchstick)
1 cup halved seedless red grapes
2 green onions, coarsely chopped (I used three, about 1/4-inch sliced)
salt and pepper to taste
8 leaves red leaf lettuce (I used cut red lettuce)
freshly ground pepper
freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
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1. Cook the penne according to the package directions. Drain it well, rinse it with cold water, and drain it well again.
2. Meanwhile, whisk together the dressing ingredients in a large bowl.
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3. Add the penne, chicken, carrots, grapes, and green onions to the dressing. Toss gently until everything is evenly combined.
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4. Serve the salad with the lettuce, and garnish with the pepper and Parmesan cheese.
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I was happy that my salad looked just like the picture in the book, although mine seemed to have more dressing. The dressing was also pretty vinegar-y. My husband thought it was awesome, but I might decrease the amount of vinegar a little the next time I make it.
I am shocked that you don't make your own pesto?! Has this changed? :)
ReplyDelete@Trista Z, lol, I don't make my own pesto. Maybe someday ;)
ReplyDeleteOMG - I made this just today......mmmmmm.
ReplyDeleteMy son was sitting at the counter watching me prepare this while munching an apple. 4 bites through he was "all done", so the rest of it went into my bowl of pasta.....what'd ya know, it was very good! It was a nice tart apple and went well with this dish.
Thx - it's a keeper!