Let’s Get Fit
I love warm weather because I like going to the beach, I enjoy the energy that it brings, and I get to eat pasta salad. Pasta salad is great for so many reasons – it’s a ready to eat meal, the flavors develop more as it sits, and it’s a dish you can easily bring to any party or picnic. With summer coming, it’s inevitable that a lot of us want to get in better shape, myself included, to feel confident in our bodies. I will still be eating pasta salad, but I’m going to make it a little healthier. This High Protein Pesto Pasta Salad has protein pasta, seasoned chicken, tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, and parmesan. It’s tossed with a creamy pesto sauce made from cottage cheese and pesto. This dish is full of protein and fresh ingredients that will keep you feeling happy and nourished throughout the day.
Protein Pasta Hack
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add in the protein pasta and cook according to the package directions. Drain and rinse the cooked pasta under cool water. Set it aside. I love using protein pasta in place of regular pasta if I’m trying to meet my protein goals. It honestly tastes pretty similar to regular pasta but you easily pack in an additional 20 grams of protein. This is one of the best “hacks” to getting your protein in for the day.
Moving onto the chicken, add the Italian seasoning, kosher salt, black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder into a small bowl. Mix until combined. Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels then coat with a drizzle of olive oil. Sprinkle the spice mixture all over both of the chicken breasts until evenly coated all over. Preheat the grill over medium high heat. Add the chicken breasts to the grill and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side. The chicken should be fully cooked and have nice grill marks. Set it aside to cool for at least 10 minutes then dice into bite sized pieces.
Cottage Cheese Is Back
Now we can move on to making the creamy pesto sauce. Cottage cheese has really resurged this year and I’m so happy about it. I feel like it had a negative and gross rap, but it’s honestly pretty tasty and amazing for getting in your protein. My favorite way to incorporate it into daily meals is to blend it until smooth and add it to any sauce to make it creamy. And that’s exactly what we’ll be doing for this High Protein Pesto Pasta Salad.
Add the cottage cheese into a food processor. Blend until smooth then transfer it into a bowl. Mix in the pesto and lemon zest then set aside. Add the cherry tomatoes and ciliegine into a bowl. Toss them together with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. In a large bowl, add in the cooked pasta, diced chicken, cherry tomatoes, ciliegine, basil leaves, shaved parmesan, and creamy pesto sauce. Mix the ingredients together until everything is evenly distributed and enjoy!
Consistency Is Key
This High Protein Pesto Pasta Salad is seriously one of the best recipes you can make if you’re looking to hit your protein goals for the summer. Not only is it nutritious, but also delicious. Such an important part of eating healthy is making sure you actually like the food. That’s ultimately what helps you stay consistent because if you love it, you won’t leave it. This High Protein Pesto Pasta Salad is great because it’s still filled with yummy foods like pasta and cheese. It’s just about making those small changes like using protein pasta instead of regular pasta or using cottage cheese instead of heavy cream to make a creamy sauce. Once you whip this dish up, you can keep it in your fridge and have it ready to eat for the next few days!
High Protein Pesto Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 8 oz. Uncooked Protein Pasta
- 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
- ¾ tsp Kosher Salt
- ½ tsp Black Pepper
- ½ tsp Onion Powder
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder
- 2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
- ¾ cup Cottage Cheese
- ⅓ cup Pesto
- Zest from ½ a Lemon
- 1 Pint Cherry Tomatoes (halved)
- 1 cup Ciliegine (halved)
- ⅓ cup Fresh Basil Leaves (torn into pieces)
- ½ cup Shaved Parmesan
- As Needed Olive oil
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add in the protein pasta and cook according to the package directions. Once the pasta is cooked, drain and rinse under cool water. Set it aside.
- Add the Italian seasoning, kosher salt, black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder into a small bowl. Mix until combined. Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels then coat with a drizzle of olive oil. Sprinkle the spice mixture all over both of the chicken breasts until evenly coated all over.
- Preheat the grill over medium high heat. Add the chicken breasts to the grill and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side until you get nice grill marks and the chicken is fully cooked. Set it aside to cool for at least 10 minutes then dice into bite sized pieces.
- Add the cottage cheese into a food processor. Blend until smooth then transfer it into a bowl. Mix in the pesto and lemon zest then set aside. Add the cherry tomatoes and ciliegine into a bowl. Toss them together with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- In a large bowl, add in the cooked pasta, diced chicken, cherry tomatoes, ciliegine, basil leaves, shaved parmesan, and creamy pesto sauce. Mix the ingredients together until everything is evenly distributed. Enjoy!
