Gluten-free Pasta Salad with Grilled Chicken and Vegetables

When the heat of the summer arrives, the last thing I feel like doing is a lot of cooking in the kitchen.  My whole family loves pasta salad, and it is a very flexible dish that you can tailor to your own tastes.  We recommend Tinkyada Brown Rice Pasta.  They have several shapes to choose from, and they are widely available and reasonably priced.

The following is a recipe that we use, and it makes enough for 8-10 servings.  We use peppers and squash, but any assortment of vegetables would work, including broccoli, tomatoes, cucumber, asparagus, mushrooms, eggplant, etc.  Just use lots of vegetables in different colors for the best looking and tasting salad.

Gluten-free Pasta Salad with Grilled Chicken and Vegetables Ingredients

• 1 lb gluten-free pasta
• 4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2-3 bell peppers, various colors, seeded and cut into 3-4 large pieces
• 1-2 small zucchinis, cut into quarters lengthwise
• 1-2 small yellow squash, cut into quarters lengthwise
• 1 red onion, sliced into rounds
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives, sliced in half
• 1/2 cup green olives, sliced in half
• 1 15 oz can kidney beans, drained
• 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
• 1/2 cup feta cheese
• 1 1/2 – 2 cups Italian or Greek style dressing
• Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. Marinate chicken breasts in 1 cup of dressing for approximately 1 hour (or more if you have time.)  Cook and drain your pasta according to directions.  Toss pasta in a large bowl with about ½ cup salad dressing while still warm.
2. Lightly coat vegetables with olive oil or cooking spray and season with salt and pepper.  Grill vegetables and chicken on medium heat.
3. Cut chicken and vegetables in to bite-sized pieces.  Combine with chicken and vegetables with pasta.
4. Add olives and kidney beans.  Gently stir to combine.  Add more salad dressing if desired.  Top salad with pine nuts and feta cheese.
5. Serve pasta salad warm or cooled to room temperature.  Rice pasta will harden when chilled, so you may need to reheat leftovers in the microwave to soften the pasta.

Use lots of vegetables in different colors for the best looking - and tasting - salad!

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