Chicken pesto pasta salad

Serves: 4
Time to make: 30 mins

Total cost: $ 23.20 / $ 5.80 per serve

(at time of publication)

Ingredients

250g wholemeal pasta
350g lean cooked chicken
3 tablespoons sundried tomato pesto
4-5 tablespoons low-fat plain yoghurt
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ripe avocado, sliced
1 cucumber, sliced
2 to 3 spring onions, sliced
¹/³ cup fresh basil
3 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted (optional)

Instructions

1 In a pot of lightly salted boiling water, cook pasta until al dente.

2 Meanwhile, slice chicken and set aside. In a small bowl, combine pesto, yoghurt, half of the lemon zest and, reserving 2 tablespoons for the avocado, the lemon juice. Season with pepper.

3 Toss avocado in reserved lemon juice.

4 Drain pasta and place in a large salad bowl. Add olive oil and toss to coat.

5 Add pesto dressing to pasta and toss again to evenly coat. Add chicken, avocado, cucumber and spring onions and combine. Adjust seasoning and serve sprinkled with basil, freshly ground black pepper, remaining zest and a sprinkling of toasted almonds, if desired, for extra texture.

Nutrition Info (per serve)

Kilojoules 2300kJ

Calories 549cal

Protein 34g

Total fat 26g

–Saturated fat 5g

Carbohydrates 40g

–Sugars 5g

Dietary fibre 11g

Sodium 180mg

Calcium 140mg

Iron 5mg

Note: Nutrition composition will vary depending on the exact ingredients used. For a guide to purchasing healthier packaged goods and general grocery items see here.

Variations

Make it gluten free: Use gluten-free pasta and check pesto is gluten free.

Make it vegan: Use Sunfed Chicken free chicken and vegan yogurt. Check the pesto is vegan.

HFG tip

You can vary this recipe by replacing the sundried tomato pesto with green pesto, sprinkling over pine nuts instead of almonds or swapping lemon for lime juice.

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