Pasta Chicken Salad with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Spinach and Bacon

I know. It really is the longest name ever. I said we'd been having a lot of salads lately, and I wasn't kidding! This is another great discovery. Melanie over at My Kitchen Cafe always has great stuff, and this was another hit. It was great for summer because you could cook the pasta and bacon in the morning and then throw it all together before you eat. Yummy! I liked the dressing, but didn't absolutely love it, so next time I might play around with something different, but other than that, I wouldn't change a thing. It was filling, colorful, flavorful, and perfect for warm weather!


For the pasta, she recommends cellantini, which my grocery store didn't have. I used whole-wheat rotini and thought it was great! So use whatever you like. I also followed her recommendation of using a rotisserie chicken, which made it super easy and delicious.

Pasta Chicken Salad with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Spinach & Bacon

1 lb. pasta, cooked drained, and cooled to room temperature
1 lb. chicken, cooked and shredded (1/2 a rotisserie chicken if you have it)
4 cups fresh spinach leaves, torn into bite-sized pieces
5 strips bacon, fried and chopped into small pieces
3-4 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (plump in hot water if using dried)

1/2 c. mayonnaise
4 T. balsamic vinegar

Place the mayonnaise and balsamic vinegar in a small bowl. Whisk well to combine. In a large bowl, combine pasta, chicken, bacon, spinach, green onions, and sun-dried tomatoes. Toss lightly to combine. Add dressing a little at a time until you have enough to your liking. I only used about half of the dressing, but you may want more. Toss to combine.
Source: My Kitchen Cafe