Tortellini & Chicken Caesar Salad

Name: Tortellini & Chicken Caesar Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 6 servings.
Ingredients: 1 package (20 ounces) refrigerated cheese tortellini; 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces; 1/3 cup finely chopped onion; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 3/4 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon pepper; 1 package (10 ounces) hearts of romaine salad mix; 1-1/2 cups grape tomatoes; 1 can (6-1/2 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained; 3/4 cup creamy Caesar salad dressing; 3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese; 6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

My family loved this pasta salad right from the start, so these days I serve it a lot. When grilling season hits, I grill the chicken as a special treat. —Lee Reese, Rolla, Missouri

Ingredients

1 package (20 ounces) refrigerated cheese tortellini
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 package (10 ounces) hearts of romaine salad mix
1-1/2 cups grape tomatoes
1 can (6-1/2 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained
3/4 cup creamy Caesar salad dressing
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

Directions

Cook tortellini according to package directions. Drain; rinse with cold water.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine chicken, onion, oil, garlic, salt and pepper; toss to coat. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken mixture; cook and stir 4-6 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from heat.
In a large bowl, combine salad mix, tomatoes, olives, tortellini and chicken mixture. Drizzle with dressing; toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese and bacon. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts

2-2/3 cups: 601 calories, 34g fat (9g saturated fat), 99mg cholesterol, 1539mg sodium, 39g carbohydrate (4g sugars, 5g fiber), 33g protein.

Originally published as Easy Summer Salad in Simple & Delicious February/March 2014

Reviews

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Average Rating:

Orbs

Jan 3, 2016

Delicious lunch salad! I added corn, peas, avocado, and carrot; and used Quorn meatless diced chicken instead of the chicken. Thank you, Lee, for sharing this recipe.
Krempa

Aug 18, 2015

What are the nutritional facts?
zipsan

Aug 9, 2015

FANTASTIC! A Salad everyone loves...
leeart

Jun 2, 2015

We love this salad as a one-dish meal. To add flavor, marinate the cooked tortellini in the Caesar salad dressing for an hour or so, then continue with Step 2 and 3. I give this 5 stars.
vewebber58

May 6, 2015

The salad was good, but it didn't blow me away. I made it exactly by the recipe. I think the dressing wasn't one that I cared for a whole lot....maybe another dressing would make me like it better. The dressing was what the entire salad tasted like - I couldn't taste the chicken. A great idea as far as all the ingredients in it- I think I could make it taste like 5 stars with some tweaking.
Gram24

May 2, 2015

I feel so badly about this review. I wanted to love this and I couldn't. All the elements were good, but-and remember this is just one person's opinion-there were just too many elements combined. I think it's neither a cold pasta salad or a vegetable salad. It's just too confusing. If you make this take justmbeth's hint and cut the chicken into smaller pieces. My hint is that if you like olives in salad ditch the nasty canned ones and buy from an olive bar and slice yourself.
cyounce

Apr 22, 2015

This salad was very good. I used the Purdue chicken shortcuts but I still added it in with the onion & garlic to heat it up & combine the flavors. I will definitely be adding this recipe to my recipe box.
justmbeth

Feb 26, 2015

We loved this salad. Next time I may add a bit more lettuce and cut the chicken into smaller pieces.
cindiak

Oct 10, 2014

I made this for dinner tonight and it was great!
homemadewithlove

Apr 14, 2014

Prepared even without the chicken and the salad was wonderful! Everyone at the picnic enjoyed it. I like that it was a different dish besides regular pasta or lettuce salads.