Greek Yogurt Caesar Pesto Pasta Salad with Grilled Chicken and Arugula
This pasta salad is tossed with a super flavorful and light greek yogurt Caesar pesto! It's filled with grilled chicken, basil, arugula, and cherry tomatoes, but you could certainly customize it and add chickpeas to make it vegetarian, or your protein of choice!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces chickpea pasta (regular pasta works here too!)
- 2 large chicken breasts, previously grilled and cut into bite size pieces
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 cups arugula
For the caesar pesto
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup shelled pistachios
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste
- 1 cup packed fresh basil
- 1/2 cup packed flat leaf parsley
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- chopped basil for garnish
Instructions
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Bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Cook according to package directions.
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In the meantime, make the caesar pesto. In a food processor, combine the Greek yogurt, ½ cup of the parmesan, pistachios, lemon juice, dijon, anchovy paste, basil, parsley, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth and creamy. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
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Once pasta is cooled, add to a large bowl. Add the chicken and tomatoes and toss. Add the caesar pesto sauce (I used all but about ¼ cup), and toss again. Basically, use as much sauce as you like. Lastly add the arugula, a handful of chopped basil, and remaining 2 tablespoons of parm and toss one more time. Season to taste with salt and pepper.