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Meat

Chicken, Bacon and Rigatoni Salad

Traditional Italian cooking is bursting with robust flavours and this chicken, bacon and pasta salad is no exception. It's ideal for picnic baskets.

Serves 8

Difficulty
Easy
Preparation Time
Less than 30 minutes
Cooking Time
Less than 15 minutes
Bob's  Kitchen Recipe Card

Ingredients for  8  Servings

  • 600g
    Rigatoni pasta
  • 600g
    Tomatoes, halved
  • 550g
    Smoked bacon rashers
  • 6
    Baby gem lettuces
  • 8
    Cooked chicken breasts
  • 3
    Garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1
    Cucumber, halved lengthwise, deseeded and sliced
  • -
    Large handful of finely chopped chives
  • -
    Low calorie cooking spray

  • For the Dressing

  • 400g
    Low fat natural cottage cheese
  • 200g
    Quark
  • 1 tsp
    English mustard powder and 2 tbsp water
  • 6 tbsp
    Mayonnaise
  • ½ tsp
    Artificial sweetner
  • -
    Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
  • -
    Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Approximate Times

  • Preparation :
    Less than 30 minutes
  • Cooking :
    Less than 15 minutes

Method

  1. Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Drain, rinse under cold running water, drain again and set aside.
  2. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Place the tomatoes, cut side up, on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment. Scatter over the garlic, spray with low calorie cooking spray and roast in the oven for 15 minutes.
  3. Grill the bacon rashers under a medium-hot grill for around 5 minutes on each side or until crisp and lightly golden. Break into bite-sized pieces and set aside on kitchen paper.
  4. Make the dressing by blending all the ingedients in a food processor until smooth. Season to taste and set aside.
  5. Arrange the pasta, lettuce, cucumber and roasted tomatoes on a wide salad platter and scatter over the bacon and chicken. Drizzle over the dressing, scatter over the chives, toss to mix well and serve.