Every summer, the young women (ages 12-18) from our church attend a girl’s camp, and adult women accompany them, as their leaders. For several years, I had the opportunity to go, and for most of those times, my friend, Linda Eliason, went, as well. She would make this delicious pasta salad for the girls, and they loved it. They requested it every year, so we started calling it “Girl’s Camp Pasta Salad”.
It’s sweet and tangy, with crunchy vegetables and salty nuts. Chicken breast meat makes it hearty and filling, and when you’ve been playing in the mountains all morning, it’s the PERFECT lunch!
- 1 bottle (16 ounces) cole slaw dressing
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 12 ounces tri-color rotini
- 6 ounces farfalle (bow tie) pasta
- 3-4 cups cooked, diced chicken breast
- 2 bunches green onion, sliced
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 1 (20 ounce) can pineapple tidbits, drained
- 1 can (11 ounce) mandarin oranges, drained
- 2 cups grapes, sliced
- 1 cup cashew pieces
- Combine cole slaw dressing, mayonnaise, and salt in a mixing bowl, and whisk thoroughly. Set aside.
- In a large stock pot, bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. The farfalle takes longer than the rotini, so plan accordingly. Drain, and rinse with cold water until completely cool.
- Dump into large mixing bowl, and combine with chicken, green onion, celery, pineapple, oranges, grapes, and cashews. Pour dressing on top, and gently toss until completely coated.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Toss, again, before serving.
FARFALLE or “BOW-TIE”
This takes about 11-12 minutes to cook.
TRI-COLOR ROTINI
This takes about 7-8 minutes to cook.
In a large stock-pot, over high heat, combine
4 quarts of water
1 tablespoon salt
Bring to a boil.
The FARFALLE or “BOW-TIE” pasta takes about 3 minutes longer to cook than the ROTINI. So when the water comes to a boil, add
6 ounces FARFALLE (BOW-TIE) pasta
As soon as the water returns to a boil, set a timer for 3 minutes.
Add
12 ounces TRI-COLOR ROTINI
When the water returns to boiling, set timer according to package directions. (about 8 minutes)
Drain, and rinse the pasta under cold water.
In a mixing bowl, combine
1 bottle (16 ounces) cole slaw dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon salt
Whisk thoroughly, and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine
all the cooked, cooled pasta
3-4 cups cooked, diced chicken breast
2 bunches green onion, sliced
1 cup celery, chopped
1 (20 ounce) can pineapple tidbits, drained
1 can (11 ounce) mandarin oranges, drained
2 cups grapes, sliced
1 cup cashew pieces
Pour the dressing on top, and gently toss until completely coated.
Cover and refrigerate for a least 1 hour.
Gently toss before serving.
