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Strawberry Spinach Pasta Salad is a sweet and tangy pasta salad that is loaded with fresh strawberries, spinach, BACON, almonds and parmesan cheese. All of the ingredients are brought together with a homemade greek yogurt poppyseed dressing.
Summer in a Pasta Salad
This past weekend was Memorial Day weekend! We spent the weekend kind of laying low, going to the park, riding bikes and just enjoying each other.
On Monday, we went and visited the my brother and Dan’s brother’s gravesite and then got together with some friends for a BBQ.
Even though, it was kind of chilly and a little rainy, the BBQ was a raging success. I mean, getting tighter with good food and better company is a recipe for fun no matter the weather, right?
I brought this pasta salad, and let me tell you, I will be making this more often! My husband even ate it.. and he isn’t much of a pasta salad fan!
I love this salad because it is light, refreshing and SUMMERY. All good things, right? All good things.
How to Make the Best Strawberry Spinach Pasta Salad
I made the pasta in the Instant Pot (like just about EVERYTHING else in my life!) but it could definitely be boiled on the stovetop as well.
I like to cook my pasta in the Instant Pot because I just set it and forget it, no babysitting a pot of boiling water!
While the pasta is cooking, I prep the rest of the ingredients. I cook the bacon (you can even use the microwavable bacon from Costco.. LOVE that stuff!!), dice the strawberries and make the dressing.
The homemade dressing is made from greek yogurt, milk, vinegar, sugar, mayo, salt and poppy seeds. Everything is just whisked together, nice and easy!
Once the pasta is finished cooking, rinse the pasta under cold water. This stops the cooking and it rinses all of the extra sticky starch off.
Once the pasta is rinsed and cooled, toss the pasta, strawberries, bacon, parmesan cheese and almond slivers together in a large bowl. Cover the salad in the dressing right before serving.
Strawberry Spinach Pasta Salad
Strawberry Spinach Pasta Salad is a sweet and tangy pasta salad that is loaded with fresh strawberries, spinach, BACON, almonds and parmesan cheese. All of the ingredients are brought together with a homemade greek yogurt poppyseed dressing.
Ingredients
- 16 oz rotini
- 6 cups water
- 4 oz baby spinach
- 1 lb strawberries diced
- 1/2 lb bacon cooked, crumbled
- 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds
Greek Yogurt Poppy Seed Dressing
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup mayo
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp poppy seeds
Instructions
- Cook the pasta. If using the Instant Pot, put the pasta and water into the liner and cook on manual HIGH for 2 min NPR 4 min with a controlled pressure release after the 4 min. (This means to release the pressure a little at a time to avoid the dreaded starchy volcano ?)
- When the pasta is finished cooking, rinse the pasta in cold water until the pasta is cool.
- Toss the cooled pasta, spinach, strawberries, bacon, cheese and almonds together in a large bowl.
- To make the dressing, combine the dressing ingredients together and whisk until there are no lumps remaining.
- Drizzle the dressing over the salad right before serving.
Love this Strawberry Spinach Pasta Salad? Try my other salad recipes!
Chicken BLT Garden Salad
Caramel Apple Salad
Creamy Fruit Salad
Come on over and join the party on Facebook and Instagram!! ?
Strawberry Spinach Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 16 oz rotini
- 6 cups water
- 4 oz baby spinach
- 1 lb strawberries, diced
- 1/2 lb bacon, cooked, crumbled
- 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds
Greek Yogurt Poppy Seed Dressing
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup mayo
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp poppy seeds
