High Protein Pasta Salad
This High Protein Pasta Salad is a must make! With 24g of protein per serving, it's hearty, delicious and great for meal prep or a BBQ!
Servings: 12 2 cup servings
Calories: 338kcal
Ingredients
Pasta Salad:
- 1 pound dry fusilli pasta
- 4 cups diced cooked chicken
- 2 cups diced bell peppers
- 2 cups quartered cucumbers
- 2 cups corn
- 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup halved black olives
- 1 ½ cups cottage cheese
Dressing:
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ½ tablespoon dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil for the pasta. Optional, but recommended: add a teaspoon of salt to the water for flavoring the pasta.
- Boil the pasta according to the package directions. We recommend cooking it al dente as the pasta will continue to absorb the dressing in the bowl and you’ll want the pasta to hold its shape once assembled. We cooked for about 3 minutes less than the recommended cook time.
- While the pasta cooks, chop the red peppers, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and olives.
- Assemble the dressing. Mix together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard and the dried spices.
- Once the pasta has cooked, drain the pasta in a large colander in the sink. Run cold water over the top of the pasta so you can instantly stop the cooking process and can get it to room temperature for assembling the pasta salad.
- Take the drained pasta and pour it into an extra large serving bowl or container. (You’ll want a really big bowl, trust us!)
- Add the cooked chicken, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, corn and black olives. Pour the cottage cheese and salad dressing over the top of the salad and mix together until everything is evenly coated.
- Serve cold.
Nutrition
Serving: 2cups | Calories: 338kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 355mg | Potassium: 431mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1080IU | Vitamin C: 40mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 2mg
