Summer Fruit and Pasta Salad with Grilled Chicken
This fruit salad features cantaloupe, pineapple, strawberries, apples and grapes combined with tortellini pasta and chicken, all topped with a poppy seed dressing.
Ingredients
1 cantaloupe, peeled, seeded, cubed
1 pineapple, peeled, cored, cubed
1 pint strawberries, greens cut off, cut in half
2 Granny Smith apples, cored, cubed
2 cups washed, halved red seedless grapes
3 lb. cooked cheese tortellini pasta
1 cup Poppy Seed Dressing (recipe follows)
12 bunches mixed greens
12 grilled chicken breasts
Crumbled feta cheese for garnish
Scallions for garnish
Toasted almonds for garnish
Poppy Seed Dressing
3.5 oz. granulated sugar
1⁄2 tsp. clear cornstarch
5⁄8 tsp. ground mustard seed
1⁄4 tsp. kosher salt
31⁄3 tbsp. + 1⁄2 tsp. white 4% distilled vinegar
11⁄8 tsp. yellow onion
1⁄4 cup + 22⁄3 tsp. salad vegetable oil
3⁄4 tsp. poppy seed spice
Steps
1. For Poppy Seed Dressing: Combine sugar, cornstarch, mustard seed and salt. Add
vinegar and cook on medium heat until mixture thickens and becomes clear.
2. Cool to room temperature. While mixture is cooling, chop onion in food processor until superfine. Strain and reserve juice. Discard onion bits. Add onion juice to cooled dressing in mixer bowl.
3. On high speed, add oil very slowly to mixture. Mix until well blended and oil does not separate. Add poppy seed and mix until well distributed.
4. To assemble: Mix all fruit, pasta and salad dressing well.
5. Divide between 12 plates on top of mixed greens of choice.
6. Top with grilled piece of chicken. Garnish with feta cheese, scallions and toasted almonds.
Recipe by Ball State University, Muncie, Ind.