This post may contain affiliate links. Please see disclosure policy here.
Spinach Pasta Salad is the perfect side dish when serving a large group or add chicken to make it a delicious summer dinner.Â
Spinach Pasta Salad is definite crowd pleaser. And I know this for a fact because I have served this salad to crowd! I once fixed this spinach pasta salad for a group of 450 woman! Each and every time I fix it, I am inundated with requests for the recipe.
I love that this salad is a complete meal! It has spinach, chicken and pasta. Also, It is fairly inexpensive to make, so you can feed a crowd on a budget! It is also an easy one to stretch if you need to, just add more spinach!
Because of all the bright colors, it looks pretty on the plate too. Not to mention this spinach pasta salad has great textures! Lots of crunch with the water chestnuts, peanuts and sesame seeds!
Ingredients
- Bow Tie Pasta
- Chicken
- Spinach
- Mandarin Oranges
- Dried Cranberries
- Water Chestnuts
- Green Onions
- Peanuts
- Sesame Seeds
- Teriyaki Sauce
- White Vinegar
- Sugar
- Salt and Pepper
- Canola Oil
How to Make Spinach Pasta Salad
- Prepare bow tie pasta according to package directions and let cool.
- Blend dressing ingredients in blender. Set aside 1/2 cup to dress salad with later.
- Mix remaining dressing and cooked pasta and marinade for 2 hours in an airtight container or ziplock bag.
- Combine remaining salad ingredients.
- Add add pasta and dressing to the salad and toss to mix.
- Add reserved dressing as needed.
If you ever need a meal to feed 400 or a delicious summer dinner for your family, this spinach pasta salad is the perfect recipe for both!
Check out more of my delicious salad recipes:
Be sure and follow me over on YouTube for weekly cooking demos.
Spinach Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 8 oz. bow tie pasta cooked al dente
Dressing
- 1 cup canola oil
- 2/3 cup Teriyaki Sauce
- 2/3 cup white vinegar
- 6 Tbsp. sugar
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 10 oz. bag of spinach
- 1 cup bag craisins
- 2 11 oz. cans mandarin oranges drained
- 1 5 oz. can sliced water chestnuts drained
- 2-3 green onions chopped
- 2 Tbsp sesame seeds toasted
- 1 cup peanuts
- 2 cups cooked chicken cut into pieces
Instructions
- Blend dressing in blender. Set aside 1/2 cup to dress salad with later.
- Mix remaining dressing and cooked pasta and marinade for 2 hours (in a ziploc bag)
- Combine other ingredients. Add add pasta and liquid in the bag. Toss. Add reserved dressing as needed.
Nutrition Facts:
Susan Adams says
I am planning to make this for a luncheon and was hoping I could prepare at least some of it in advance – as much as a day or two. For the flavors to soak in optimally, should the blended dressing be room temperature when poured over the pasta to marinate in the refrigerator? If the pasta marinates for 12+ hours instead of 2 – and the salad is mixed and refrigerated (separate from the pasta & dressing) the day before it is to be served – and then all combined and refrigerated for several hours before serving – will it still look and taste fresh?
Some recipes call for mixing the spinach with the other ingredients into cooled pasta and then refrigerating until ready to serve. I prefer the ingredients in your recipe but don’t have time to experiment before serving. Thanks in advance for your reply(ies)! 🙂
Debbie says
How long before you serve this can you mix everything together? I am worried about it getting soggy but am serving it to a large group and need to have it ready to go. Thanks!
Leigh Anne says
Spinach doesn’t hold for a long time, especially if it is hot. I always mix it up right before serving. If you can keep it cool and go light on the dressing you could do it ahead of time but no more than 30 minutes. Enjoy!
Charity says
Made this last week! Delicious! My 2.5 year old quadruplets & my 7 year old son even LOVED it! Thanks so much for a new summer recipe! =)
Tammy says
I doubled this recipe and made it for my Texas Holdem group of 20. Everyone raved about this salad ! Thank you so much for the recipe. It is a definite keeper!!
robin says
i found the sauce at safeway. it’s in the area of the teriyaki sauce. however, it was only available in a LARGE jug! but it was just 8 bucks. once you take a sniff of the stuff, i don’t think you’ll mind having a bunch of it. i can’t wait to marinade some chicken in it.
thanks for the recipe! i’m making a huge batch as we speak :O)