I participated in an Ambassador Program on behalf of Mom Central for the National Pasta Association. I received pastasamples and a stipend to facilitate the creation of pasta recipes as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation.
Did you know that October is National Pasta Month? Isn’t that exciting? To me, every month is “pasta month,” as it’s my all-time favorite dinner food.
I’m not a big veggie person, but I do love zucchini and squash! I’m always looking for delicious yet easy ways to incorporate them into recipes. I came across a Chicken and Pasta Salad recipe on the Pasta Fits website. I was searching for another recipe to use for my second post as a Pasta Fits Ambassador. It looked like a perfect way to use those delicious fall harvest veggies that I’m so fond of! Check out the original recipe on the Pasta Fits website. I tweaked mine a bit to highlight my favorite parts and take out the stuff I really don’t eat. I also made mine hot instead of cold. I also made more of it to serve my family.
Chicken & Fall Harvest Pasta Salad
Ingredients:
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 2 tsp. vegetable oil
- 1 pound of your favorite pasta
- 1 medium diced zucchini
- 1 medium diced yellow squash
- 4 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp Basil (original recipe calls for 1/4 cup fresh chopped, but I didn’t have that so I used the dried kind)
- 3 tsp. grated garlic (or minced garlic)
- 6 Tbsp./1 oz. extra virgin olive oil
- Fresh shredded Parmesan cheese for topping (optional)
Directions:
Chicken:
- Pound the chicken to make it thinner, then prepare it in a skillet seasoned with the vegetable oil and a little ground pepper. The original recipe called for grilling it, but it was pouring rain when I made it. Make sure you cook the chicken thoroughly. I found it easier to break it up as I cooked it.
- When the chicken is done, set it aside. When it’s cool enough, chop it or shred it. We kind of did both.
Pasta:
- Cook according to the directions on the package. Make it al dente. Drain and set aside.
Vegetables:
- The original recipe called for them to just be diced and put into the salad. I don’t like raw vegetables at all, so we sautéed them with a bit of olive oil.
Dressing:
-
While your chicken and pasta are cooking, get the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and basil out.
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Mix all of the above in a metal bowl.
Put it all together:
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Combine the pasta, chicken and dressing into a large pasta bowl.
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Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Pasta Fits During National Pasta Month!
Pasta Fits is a fun website to visit anytime, but they’re of course kicking things up a notch during National Pasta month! Head on over to their website to check out the latest pasta news. Plus, during October, they have a fun contest happening on the Pasta Fits Facebook page!
What will you make to celebrate National Pasta month? What’s your favorite pasta recipe?
That looks delicious! Thanks for sharing the instructions!
Yum! I make a lot of these kinds of pasta dishes where I just throw things in there. One of my favorite go-to’s is broccoli and chicken in a cheesy pasta.
I think I could eat this every day of the week, it looks so good. I’m always a fan of mixing veggies with pasta. Thank you for sharing this recipe, I’m going to add the ingredients to my shopping list right now.
My husband just made spaghetti and meat sauce but I have a weakness for pasta so I had to eat the pasta without the pasta. I could just swim in your pasta dish! I love how you added veggies!
I love it! It’s simple to make and it sounds delicious! I am Italian so pasta is a staple in my house!
I have to admit I did not know it was pasta month and yet we have had a lot more pasta this month! Your pasta dish sounds delicious, I will have to give it a try. We have stuck to lasagna and spaghetti and my boys would love a break.
Oh yum this sounds delicious – I have to admit I have been really fancying something pasta of late – perhaps I need to give this a whirl. x
Sounds delish! National Pasta Month…we should all really celebrate… 😉
This looks great! I am sitting here trying to decide what to make for dinner – this looks like a great option.
I think I would love this! I am all about pasta salads and I love squash and zucchini. I definitely want to try this one out!
This looks great! We love pastas and are always looking for new ideas to add to our meal plans! This looks so good!
That looks delicious and it’s a great way to add protein to pasta. Will definitely try this.
It’s pasta month all the time at my home! This looks like a great dish for a summer party, too.
Yummy i love any dish with pasta involved. will have to keep this one to try.
That sounds so good about now! I love pasta based dishes and so does my family!
I have to definitely try this, I love pasta salads, and this one looks really good.
I love pasta salad and it is probably one of my favorite foods. This recipe looks really good and easy to prepare.
I love pasta and especially with veggies. This looks like a great recipe and one I need to try out. This looks pretty easy to make also.
This looks so good! I want to make this for our get together this weekend!
We love pasta here in our house and I’m so going to have to make this. I know the family would love it.
That looks like a good dinner dish to me! I love pasta 🙂
Yum yum! This is a great recipe to warm up on these chilly cold days. Thank you xx
Thank you for this easy recipe. Saving it in my files for future use.
Looks easy AND delicious! Thanks for this recipe, going to pin it for later.
I love a good, easy pasta dish! I’m not a fan of squash, but zucchini is a fave! Looks like yours turned out great!
This dish looks so easy to make. Thank you for adding another pasta recipe to my menu.
Hurrah for pasta month. That’s one of my most favorite things to eat for a meal. 🙂
I just love fall harvest vegetables. Pumpkin is my favorite. I need to get a bit more adventurous about my pumpkin recipes.
This sounds just delicious. My kids are picky, but they like chicken and pasta so I might be able to get them to eat it!
In my house, chicken is MY favorite thing to eat and pasta is my hubby’s and son’s favorite. So this easy fall harvest pasta recipe would be perfect!
One more reason to love October … not only is it fall but also pasta month?! ONe of my kids’ favorite foods!! 🙂 This sounds like a yummy way to celebrate.
Looks pretty good. I like that it is easy to make
My favorite Fall veggies! and then you said pasta…oh boy, this is making me hungry! 😉 Looks yummy!
That looks so good & easy to make! Best part yet is how small the zucchini & squash are, my picky eater might gobble this up before she realizes what’s in it.
I love that you turned yours into a hot dish instead of cold. This looks soooo tasty!
My mom used to make something similar to this. It was so delicious!! I’ll have to add this to the rotation for my family!
I think this is something that my whole family would like, especially on these cold days we’ve been having.
This sounds like a pasta salad I’d love to try.