Lemon Chicken Penne Salad

Lemon Chicken Penne Salad

Pasta salads can be such great, healthy, make ahead meals - so I've been experimenting with new recipes to find some wonderful alternatives. It's so easy to add any combination of ingredients but the difference is always the dressing. I'm tired of vinaigrettes, but didn't want the fat of a typical creamy dressing, so I lightened up the creamy lemon dressing from the Summer Bean Salad to create a very low calorie option. My favorite combination has been asparagus, cherry tomatoes, shredded chicken and fresh mozerella. I've also made this same salad vegetarian with green beans, sugar snap peas, cherry tomatoes and mozerella. Truly be creative here. But remember, the key is in the dressing!

origin - lisa lou
difficulty - easy
health meter - high

1 box penne pasta cooked according to package (slightly undercook if you plan to make this ahead as the dressing will soften the noodles a bit)
1 pint cherry tomatoes quartered
1 bunch asparagus sliced on the diagonal into 1 inch pieces boiled crisp tender and shocked in an ice bath
1 cup chopped fresh mozerella (next time I plan to try shredded gruyere cheese to add more of a bite)
1 shallot finely chopped
1 large handful fresh parsley finely chopped
4 slices of bacon cooked and crumbled
2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, poached in chicken broth/white wine combo and shredded
1/2 cup toasted pecans roughly chopped *optional

creamy lemon dressing
1 cup light sour cream
juice of one lemon
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp spicy ground mustard
2 tsp sugar dissolved into 1/4 cup warm water
1/3 cup olive oil
salt/pepper to taste

Combine all dressing ingredients except the olive oil. Slowly whisk in the olive oil to emulsify. Combine all salad ingredients except the pecans into a large bowl and add dressing. Either serve immediately or make one day ahead but do not dress until you are ready to serve. Garnish with pecans and additional parsley.