Pesto Chicken Tortellini Salad
Entree
Prep time:
15 mins
Total time:
30 mins
INGREDIENTS
- 8 cups cheese tortellini
- 2 pounds asparagus, trimmed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 ¼ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 3 cups basil leaves, packed
- 3 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
INSTRUCTIONS
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and preheat grill to medium-high heat. Cook tortellini according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, prepare the pesto, chicken, and asparagus.
- Combine olive oil, lemon juice, basil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, pepper and salt in a blender. Puree until smooth and set aside.
- Place chicken breasts, one at time, into a gallon-sized Ziploc bag. Using a meat mallet, pound each chicken breast until approx. ½ inch thick. Brush chicken breasts with 2 teaspoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Set aside to prepare asparagus. Arrange asparagus on a cookie sheet, drizzle with remaining 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Place chicken breasts on the hot grill. After 5 minutes, place asparagus spears directly on grill. Flip chicken and grill until cooked through (about 3-5 more minutes). Every minute or so, roll the asparagus ¼ turn. Remove chicken and asparagus from grill and place on cutting board to cool slightly. Once cool enough to handle, thinly slice chicken and chop asparagus into 2-inch long pieces.
- In a large metal bowl add tortellini, chicken, asparagus, and cherry tomatoes. Scoop pesto into bowl and toss until well-combined. Serve hot!
NUTRITION INFORMATION
CALORIES:
400
FAT:
15 g
CARBOHYDRATES:
35 g
SODIUM:
380 mg
FIBER:
4 g
PROTEIN:
25 g
CHOLESTEROL:
70 mg