Kale Chicken Pasta Salad

“Kale chicken pasta salad with a tangy balsamic vinaigrette, sunflower seeds and dried cranberries. Works great for meal prep or a weeknight dinner.” Recipe: SweetPeasAndSaffron.

Ingredients

• 2 cups uncooked pasta (4.6 oz)
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• salt & pepper
• 4 cups kale or spinach
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds

Balsamic Dressing

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard

Instructions

• Cook pasta according to package directions, set aside to cool.
• Heat oven to 450°F. Toss chicken breasts in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season with salt & pepper. Bake chicken breasts according to their size: 5 oz (12-15 min), 7 oz (15-20 min), 10 oz (20-25 min), or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
• Chop, wash and dry kale.
• Shake together all vinaigrette ingredients.
• Toss everything together and enjoy!

Jar Salads

• Place the ingredients into the four 1-pint jars in the following order: balsamic dressing, chicken (cooled completely), pasta, kale, cranberries/feta/sunflower seeds.
• To serve jar salads, shake out into a clean bowl and toss up in the vinaigrette.
• Storage
• Stored in jars or separately (not tossed in vinaigrette), this salad can keep for up to 4 days in the fridge.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 batch | Calories: 494kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 275mg | Potassium: 882mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 6765IU | Vitamin C: 81.8mg | Calcium: 168mg | Iron: 2.4mg