Evan’s Recipe Spotlight: Strawberry Spinach Pasta Salad with Orange Poppy Seed Dressing

closeup of pasta salad

Ingredients
6 ounces penne noodles, cooked according to package directions
4 cups packed fresh baby spinach leaves
1 cup sliced strawberries – heaping
1 cup pineapple chunks – heaping
1/4 cup dried cranberries, or dried blueberries – heaping
1/2 cup salted cashews or other nuts like pecans or walnuts – heaping

Orange Poppyseed Dressing
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
3 tablespoons honey
1/3 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
optional: pinch of salt and pepper

Instructions

Combine all dressing ingredients in a jar, cover, and shake well. Set aside.

Combine penne, spinach, strawberries, pineapple, cranberries, and cashews in a large bowl. Toss with dressing or put the dressing on the side and let people dress their own salad.

Serve immediately or cover and chill for 1 hour before serving.

It’s the perfect summer to-go salad for any event and was featured in Evan’s Corner. This recipe was taken from the Creme de la Crumb blog.