An excellent Summer Pasta Salad, with roasted courgette (zucchini), chicken and sweetcorn tossed in a basil pesto dressing with salty feta and a crunchy bacon topping. Great as a complete meal or a side dish, the whole family will love this pasta salad.
Summer Pasta Salad
This is a super easy pasta salad which feels a bit fancy – making it perfect for taking to pot lucks or serving as a side for summer garden parties or BBQs.
It is family friendly – my 12 month old daughter loves it! I just serve her portion before adding the bacon and feta to control the amount of salt, and left out the spring onion (scallion) as she is not quite ready to manage these raw yet.
Ingredients
Full ingredients list with quantities is included in the recipe card below. These are some helpful notes about the main ingredients including some swaps and substitutes where applicable.
- Pasta – I like farfalle (bow-tie pasta) but use whatever shape you like.
- Courgette/Zucchini – the main event, I like to slice them into half moons about half an inch thick as I find they roast best like this.
- Sweetcorn – I use one 198g/7oz can of sweetcorn (157g/5.5oz drained weight), drained and rinsed. You could also use frozen corn kernels (no need to defrost first) or about 2 whole cobs of fresh corn.
- Chicken – I like chicken breast for salads. For a vegetarian version swap for a can of butter beans (or another white bean) – no need to cook, just drain and add at the end.
- Crispy Bacon – optional, but gives a great salty crunch which pairs so well with the courgette. For a vegetarian version swap for toasted breadcrumbs or seeds.
- Pesto – A Basil pesto works best – use your preferred recipe or jar. I like these little pots for convenience.
- Red Wine Vinegar – you can also use white wine or cider vinegar, or swap for lemon juice.
- Mayonnaise – or plain yoghurt, ideally Greek Style. Sour cream would also work, or use olive oil.
Serving Suggestions
I love this pasta salad as a complete meal – it has a good balance of protein, carbs and fiber. It also goes great as a side dish or as part of a communual meal.
Make it vegetarian by swapping the chicken for white beans, and using crispy seeds or toasted breadcrumbs instead of bacon.
Pasta Salad is best served at room temperature. If you are making in advance you can store in the fridge but bring it out about 30 minutes before serving and give it a good toss.
Got Leftovers?
Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
I do not recommend freezing this dish, but if you would like to freeze for later I would avoid adding the dressing or use olive oil in place of mayo if planning to freeze.
More Pasta Salad Recipes:
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Chicken and Courgette Pasta Salad
Equipment
- large baking tray lined with baking paper or foil
- Pasta Pot
Ingredients
- 350 grams courgettes - sliced
- 1 large chicken breast
- 4 rashers streaky bacon - cooked until crispy
- 1 198g tin sweetcorn
- 300 grams pasta
- 1 lemon
- 3 tbsp Pesto
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise - or Greek yoghurt
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 100 grams feta cheese
- Small bunch spring onion - (scallions)
- ½ tsp dried basil
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200c/400f/gas 6. Line a large baking tray with baking paper or foil.
- Halve and slice the courgettes then toss with the drained corn and 1 tbsp olive oil, the dried basil and a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper. Arrange in one layer on a large lined baking tray (you can do the tossing directly on the baking tray or in a bowl).
- Make a space at the side of the baking tray and lay the lemon slices. Cut the chicken lengthways to make 2 thinner cutlets and season on both sides with salt and pepper. Lay the two halves on top of the lemon slices and drizzle with a tbsp olive oil plus the juice from the remaining lemon half.
- Pop in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. Flip the chicken halfway through and give the veggies a toss. You can cook the bacon in the oven on a separate tray for 20 to 25 minutes till crispy, or use your preferred method.
- Meanwhile, cook and drain the pasta, running under cold water to stop the cooking process.
- Make the dressing by adding the pesto, mayo (or yoghurt) and vinegar to a large bowl and mixing together.
- Slice the spring onions and chives, chop or crumble the feta and crispy bacon.
- When the chicken is cooked through and the courgette and corn are just beginning to brown, remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
- Cut the chicken into small, bite-sized pieces, then add to the dressing along with the pasta, courgettes, corn, feta cheese, chives and spring onion. Toss everything together then sprinkle over the crispy bacon bits to serve.
Nutrition
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