Pasta is a wonderful base for main dish salads. It comes in so many shapes and forms, and is always quick and easy to make. You can combine it with everything from chicken to fruit to grains or seafood. These are some of the best main dish pasta salads.
1. Pesto Chicken Pasta Salad
Linda Larsen
This is one of the first main dish pasta salads I created, and it remains a favorite to this day. Whenever I can't decide what kind of salad to make, this is the one that comes out of the recipe file.
2. Raspberry Turkey Mint Salad
Linda Larsen
This beautiful salad combines smoked turkey with farfalle pasta and lots of fresh fruit. It has a clean, fresh sweet dressing made from mint, vanilla yogurt, honey, and raspberry vinegar.
3. Tex Mex Chicken Pasta Salad
Linda Larsen
I love this salad, which combines pasta with cooked chicken, edamame, and a suave and spicy dressing. It's beautiful too!
4. Curried Chicken Salad
Linda Larsen
I buy the 'long grain' form of orzo (as opposed to the round kind) from a grocery store in New York just for this salad. It's my husband's favorite.
5. Salmon Orzo Salad
Linda Larsen
This is one of my newest salads, made when I had some leftover cooked salmon fillets. I love the dressing, with its three cheese salad dressing and yogurt combination. And the peas, peppers, and grape tomatoes add great color, crunch, and nutrition.
6. Cabbage Tortellini Salad
Linda Larsen
This salad was the result of some spinach that just didn't last long enough in the refrigerator. It's crunchy, smooth, creamy, and chewy, and just plain delicious.
7. Black Bean Wild Rice Salad
Linda Larsen
Yes, this salad does contain pasta: orzo pasta, that is. It's really beautiful, full of flavor and texture, and easy to make.
