CREAMY PESTO PASTA SALAD WITH CHICKEN, ASPARAGUS AND CHERRY TOMATOES

Creamy Pesto Pasta Salad with Chicken, Asparagus and Cherry Tomatoes image

A tangy buttermilk dressing ties together this pasta salad studded with asparagus, chicken, artichokes, and cherry tomatoes!

Provided by USA WEEKEND columnist Pam Anderson

Categories Salad Vegetable Salad Recipes Tomato Salad Recipes

Yield 8

Number Of Ingredients 14

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Ingredients

1 large garlic clove, minced
⅓ cup mayonnaise
⅓ cup sour cream
⅓ cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons salt
1 pound bow tie (farfalle) pasta
8 ounces trimmed asparagus, cut into 1-inch lengths
1 pound cooked chicken breast strips, pulled into bite-size pieces
8 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved and lightly salted
1 (14 ounce) can whole artichoke hearts, drained, cut into sixths
3 green onions, thinly sliced
½ cup pine nuts, toasted in a small skillet over low heat until golden
¼ cup pesto (homemade or refrigerated prepared variety)

Steps:

Mix dressing ingredients in a small bowl; keep chilled until ready to toss with salad. (Store in clean jar with lid.)
Bring 1 gallon of water and 2 Tbs. of salt to boil in a large soup kettle. Add pasta and, using package times as a guide, boil, stirring frequently and adding asparagus the last 1 minute, until just tender. Drain thoroughly (do not rinse) and dump onto a large, lipped cookie sheet. Set aside to cool while preparing remaining salad ingredients.
Place all salad ingredients (except buttermilk dressing) in a large bowl or transfer to a gallon-size zippered bag. (Can be covered and refrigerated several hours at this point.) When ready to serve, add dressing; toss to coat and serve.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 546.6 calories, Carbohydrate 50.4 g, Cholesterol 60.5 mg, Fat 26.4 g, Fiber 4.6 g, Protein 29.3 g, SaturatedFat 6.5 g, Sodium 2107.5 mg, Sugar 3.4 g