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Chicken and Qukes Tortellini Salad

Prep Time:

20 minutes

Cook Time:

30 minutes

Serves:

4

Level:

Beginner

About the Recipe

The Chicken & Qukes Tortellini Salad is a delightful medley of fresh ricotta and spinach tortellini, crunchy qukes baby cucumbers, and tender roasted chicken. The butternut pumpkin is peeled, cubed, and roasted with chopped capsicums in extra virgin olive oil until tender. This roasted vegetable mixture is then combined with cooked tortellini and drizzled with half of a homemade dressing made from olive oil, red wine vinegar, caster sugar, chilli flakes, and Dijon mustard. The salad is further enriched with halved cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped mixed olives, baby spinach leaves, and basil leaves. It's topped with cooked, sliced chicken and the remaining parmesan. The salad is served with the remaining dressing and a sprinkle of finely grated parmesan. With a preparation and cook time of just 50 minutes, this salad is perfect for a healthy weekday lunch or a light dinner.

Ingredients

  • 1kg Butternut Pumpkin (Peeled, cut into 3cm pieces)

  • 2 Tbs Extra Virgin olive oil

  • 175g Capsicums (Chopped)

  • 325g Fresh Ricotta and Spinach Tortellini

  • 250g Qukes Baby Cucumbers (Halved)

  • 200g Cherry Tomatoes (halved)

  • 100g Mixed olives (Pitted, roughly chopped)

  • 40g Baby Spinach leaves

  • ½ Cup Basil Leaves

  • 50g Parmesan (Finely grated)

  • 500g Cooked Chicken (Sliced)


Dressing:

  • ¼ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

  • 1 Tbs Red White Vinegar

  • 1 Tbs Caster Sugar

  • ½ Tsp Chilli Flakes

  • 1 Tsp Dijon Mustard

Preparation


  1. Preheat the oven to 220 Degrees fan forced. Spread the pumpkin in a single layer over the base of the roasting pan, drizzle with oil, season, and roast for 20 minutes. Add the Capsicums and stir gently to combine with the pumpkin. Roast together for 10 minutes until the pumpkin is tender and capsicums are roasted. Set aside to cool. 

  2. For the dressing, whisk all the ingredients together with salt and pepper. 

  3. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water following the packet directions and drain. Transfer to a large bowl, pour over half the dressing and set aside to cool. 

  4. Add the pumpkin, capsicums, quakes, cherry tomatoes, olives, spinach, basil and half the parmesan to the pasta, stirring gently with a metal spoon to combine. Spoon into serving bowls or lunch boxes and top with chicken. Pour over the remaining dressing and sprinkle with the remaining parmesan to serve.

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