best easy dinner salad

A few years ago, a friend of mine invited me to a “ladies lunch group” that she had been a part of for many years. I loved the concept of this lunch group! There were four friends and they each hosted the lunch once a year. The host decided the theme and menu for the lunch at their home. The really fun twist was that each of the four ladies invited a friend to be their guest at each lunch, making it a group of eight each time. The core group of four remained the same, but the additional guests were always different.

The lunch that I attended was in the spring, and the menu consisted of light salads. Perfect for that time of year! I left the host’s house with a few new recipes to add to my summer rotation of meals.

The one titled “best easy dinner salad” is quite a popular one at my house! My family requests it at least every other week. I’ve made a few tweaks to it over the years, as well. One being that I don’t put the chicken it, but rather serve it on the side…my vegetarian daughter appreciates that!

Salad Ingredients…

fresh baby greens
pint cherry tomatoes (cut in half)
6-8 roasted chicken strips
pound bowtie pasta (cooked al dente)
8 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (shaved)

Dressing Ingredients…

3 garlic cloves (minced)
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

I usually cook the chicken and pasta in the morning. This allows time for these ingredients to cool before adding them to the salad. In fact, I put them in the fridge for the remainder of the day until I put the salad together just before serving.

Using a large bowl, combine the baby greens, pasta, and the cherry tomatoes.

Add the cheese and toss it all together. I usually add some pepper, too. At this point, you can cut the chicken into smaller pieces and add it. Like I mentioned, I keep it on the side because not everyone eats meat in my family.

In a separate bowl, combine all the ingredients for the dressing. Now you can drizzle this right on the salad and toss OR serve it on the side. I serve it on the side for many reasons…each person can put as much (or little) dressing as they wish on their salad, I can make it ahead for those busy nights when we eat at different times and the salad doesn’t become soggy, and the leftovers are much better.