Easy Summer Recipes:Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser. #CollectiveBias #DinnerDone

Hello all! I hope the weather is nice and warm (but not too warm!) where you are! Here in Cali it seems like we just completely skipped Spring and went right into the Summer. The only reason i'm even slightly okay with that is because of the abundance of Summer Recipes! When it's hot I like to keep it simple with cool and easy recipes. Meaning: no oven! 

This past weekend my hubby grilled on Friday, Saturday & Sunday! It was so fabulous because I got to focus on one of my favorite things: Side dishes! I love making side dishes to go with good a barbecue! So... I did!

First, I had to stop by Walmart to pick up all my ingredients for what was soon to be the best pasta salad ever. I grabbed my pasta, pesto, bell pepper, onion and, of course, a can of Hunt's diced tomatoes! One of the main reasons I love cooking with Hunt's so much is because it really saves me the time of having to cut up tomato after tomato and squirting juice and seeds all over the place! I love the flavor and texture that Hunt's tomatoes bring to my dishes and also love the fact that peel their tomatoes using a Flash Steam method! Much, much better for you and your family!

The first step in making my yummy Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad is to cook your noodles to al dente! While they're still warm, toss them with your pesto and make sure they are all smothered in the stuff! Mmm pesto!

Next you chop up your onion, bell pepper and parsley and add your Hunt's diced tomatoes. 

Isn't it pretty?? So colorful! I'm getting hungry just looking at it...

The last thing I did was add my shredded chicken to it and mix it all together! Easy peasy, right? This stuff is so good that you could use it for your main course instead of a side dish. I had the leftovers for lunch the next day and it was even better! Yummm!

To find more delicious recipes using Hunt's, go here and here!

You can also follow Hunt's on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest!

Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad:

Ingredients:

• 1 (12 ounce) package tri-color rotini pasta
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1 (7 ounce) container pesto with basil
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 1/2 cup Hunt's diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup chopped red belle pepper
• 1/2 cup quartered artichoke hearts
• 3/4 cup feta 
• 1 boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked & shredded
• Salt & pepper

Directions:

Cook pasta to al dente according to package directions. Drain well and allow pasta to cool for about 4 minutes. Toss warm pasta with pesto, vinegar and lemon juice and allow to sit for another few minutes while you prepare your other ingredients. 

Chop your red onion, red bell pepper and parsley and add it, along with the diced tomatoes, artichoke hearts and feta to the pasta and mix well. Add shredded chicken, season with salt and pepper (to taste) and mix again.

Place pasta in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.