Pasta Salad with Chicken and Spinach

This chicken, spinach, and pasta salad is tossed with a flavorful mayonnaise and lemon juice dressing. This is a great main dish salad for hot summer days. Use cooked leftover chicken or a rotisserie chicken for this tasty salad recipe.

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces fusilli or rotini pasta
• 1 cup coarsely chopped spinach
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1 medium clove garlic, finely minced
• 2 to 3 cups coarsely chopped chicken
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Dijon or a favorite gourmet mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf basil
• salt, to taste

Preparation:

Cook pasta following package directions; drain and rinse well.

Toss cooled pasta with the spinach, red bell pepper, onion, garlic, and chicken.

Combine 1 cup of the mayonnaise with wine vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, pepper, and basil. Toss with the pasta mixture. Add more mayonnaise, if needed. Taste and add salt, if desired. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving time for best flavor.
Serves 4 to 6.