If you love pasta salad as much as I do, then you’ll want to make these other reader favorites: Mexican Street Corn Chicken Pasta Salad, Strawberry Avocado Chicken Pasta Salad, Greek Tortellini Pasta Salad, and Pesto Chicken Pasta Salad.
Ideas for Customizing this Recipe
Add some bite and flavor to this spinach salad with some finely diced red onions or shallots. (I recommend shaking up finely diced shallots with the dressing.) Crumbled feta or goat cheese would make an amazing addition to this spinach salad. Instead of pine nuts, you could add slivered almonds or finely chopped pistachios. Any type of smaller pasta shape you have on hand is fine in this pasta salad. I just like the bowties because they add a fun, pretty shape. But rotini, fusilli, and penne would work great too. If you’d prefer a different dressing in this pasta salad, try my Orange Poppyseed Dressing (it’s amazing!). Instead of mandarins you could use thinly sliced apples, ripe pears, or even peaches.
More Incredible Salad Recipes
Strawberry Spinach Salad Greek Avocado Chicken Salad Pesto Chicken Pasta Salad Greek Tortellini Pasta Salad Best Teriyaki Sauce Recipe
Did you try this simple pasta salad recipe? GREAT! Please rate the recipe below! The dressing easily doubles — I’ve actually doubled the pasta salad dressing and saved half to keep in the fridge for another salad. However, all day long I find myself looking for anything and everything to dip in this stuff. Pasta, chicken, pretzels, cucumbers, my finger… Mandarian oranges — These little, tasty citrus wedges are an unexpected (but totally amazing) addition to this spinach salad. They offer a nod to Asian food, pair well with spinach (a little bitter, a little sweet), plus offer a soft texture to the chewy craisins and crunchy pine nuts. Don’t sleep on the oranges, is what I’m getting at. Teriyaki sauce — The dressing simply wouldn’t work without teriyaki sauce. Salty, sweet, savory, it’s all the things in one lovely bottle.
What’s the Difference Between an Orange and a Mandarin?
Mandarins are a kind of orange. Mandarin is a broad term for smaller, sweeter orange fruit like clementines and tangerines. So tangerines are a kind of mandarin. They are easier to peel too, thanks to a thinner skin that’s more loosely attached to the fruit.
