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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!Â
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.Â
- 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:
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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:
Kerri says
Leigh Anne,
I tried this salad tonight and you were right! It is a crowd pleaser! I got rave reviews. Thanks for sharing it.
Kerri
Leigh Anne says
So glad it was a hit. Love that salad!!
Laurie says
I made this salad for our Stake Women’s Conference this past weekend. It was delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
Leigh Anne says
Laurie, This salad is really one of my all time favorites. So glad you enjoyed it. It is a hit everytime I serve it.
Leigh Anne says
Any where from 10-15 depending on portion size. It is easy to stretch with a little more spinach.
Penny duke says
How many does the original recipe serve. I need to serve approx 100 ladies.
Debbie Campbell says
Susan~ I made this for a luncheon for 50 people last Wednesday. This is how I prepared it and it worked out great. I grilled the chicken and made the dressing and refrigerated two days before. The day before I boiled the pasta and once cooled transferred to a large zip lock bag. I drained all of the water chestnuts and madarin oranges and placed them in smaller zip locks. I toasted the sesame seeds and almonds (I used them instead of peanuts.) I also chopped the green onions and parsley. So…..at this point everything is ready to go. The morning of the luncheon I combined some of the dressing into the bags of pasta. About 20 minutes before I was ready to serve I combined all the ziplocks with the spinach in a large bowl and put a light coating of the dressing throughout. (This was Leigh suggestion….not more than 30 minutes before serving, she suggested.) I combined more of the ingredients later to replace the large empty bowl. I will tell you that everyone loved it and asked for the recipe. I hope this helps. I served it without a practice run through as well!