The Best Avocado and Chicken Pasta Salad

I am not really a huge fan of pasta salads. The only thing I like on top of my pasta dishes are sauces. However, I am all up for trying new things and introducing new, healthy meals to my family. What I love about this pasta dish is that it is not dry and the sauce is not thick. Thick like it is just smothered with mayo. This Avocado Chicken Pasta uses homemade dressing. You can use the dressing on other pasta dishes too, like Macaroni Salad.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup low-fat mayo
1 tbsp distilled white vinegar
3 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup low fat or nonfat milk or almond milk
1 package rotini pasta or your favorite pasta
1 lb cooked and cubed chicken breast
1/2 cup, cubed red bell pepper
1/2 cup, cubes green bell pepper
1/2 cup, pitted and roughly chopped black olives
1 clove, minced garlic
2 tbsp, fresh and chopped parsley
1 whole, chopped avocado
1/3 cup, red onion

Directions:

Whisk the first six ingredients ( from mayo to milk) to make your dressing. Set aside.

Cook your pasta according to package instruction. Drain well. In a separate bowl, pour the homemade dressing to your pasta, while it is still hot. Set aside and let it cool.

In a small bowl, toss the cooked chicken, olives, parsley, red and green peppers, onions, garlic, and black pepper.

Add the veggies with olives to the pasta bowl. Mix and gently toss the avocado.

You can add this to your make-ahead recipe collection. You can either make the dressing ahead of time or the rest of the ingredients chopped ahead of time. Just store it in a nice airtight container inside your fridge. It is light and delicious. You can also use whole wheat pasta and sprinkle a teaspoon of chia seeds on top for a healthy boost.