MON LUNCH · FROM THE VIDEO
Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad
- 35 min
- 8 min with Sunday prep
- 1–4 servings
- 480 kcal
- 38g protein
A cold, protein-packed pasta salad that tastes like summer even on a Monday. Rotini gets tossed in bright basil pesto with juicy cherry tomatoes, creamy mozzarella pearls, and slices of tender baked chicken. It's the kind of lunch that actually gets better after a night in the fridge, so it's perfect for grabbing on your way out the door.
Adds this lunch's 5 groceries to your Walmart cart; you check out on Walmart. Part of Everything I packed for work lunches last week · send the whole week to Walmart.
Watch
Ingredients
- 4 ozboneless skinless chicken breast
- 3/4 cup (about 2 oz dry)rotini pasta, dry
- 2 tbspbasil pesto
- 1/2 cupcherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/4 cup (2 oz)mozzarella pearls
From the pantry: olive oil, salt, black pepper, chili powder
Cookware
baking sheet · cutting board · chef's knife · large pot · colander · mixing bowl · meal-prep container
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and pat the chicken breast dry on a cutting board.
- Season the chicken all over with salt, pepper, and a pinch of chili powder, then place it on a baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes, or until it hits 165°F (74°C) internally.
- While the chicken cooks, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the rotini according to package directions, about 9 to 11 minutes.
- Drain the pasta in a colander and rinse under cold water until fully cooled, then shake off excess water.
- Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes, then slice it thinly against the grain (reserve half the batch for another meal if using the Sunday-prep chicken).
- Halve the cherry tomatoes on the cutting board while everything cools.
- In a mixing bowl, toss the cooled pasta with the pesto and olive oil until every piece is coated.
- Add the sliced chicken, halved tomatoes, and mozzarella pearls to the bowl and gently fold together.
- Divide the pasta salad into meal-prep containers and pack immediately, or refrigerate until ready to eat cold.
Two tips
- If you did the Sunday prep, skip steps 1-2 and 3-4 entirely and just use pre-cooked pasta and pre-baked chicken slices, cutting total time to about 8 minutes.
- Swap mozzarella pearls for cubed fresh mozzarella or a sprinkle of parmesan if that's what you have on hand.
Packing
Pack the pasta salad in an airtight meal-prep container and keep it in the fridge; it's meant to be eaten cold, so no reheating needed. If prepping more than a day ahead, hold the mozzarella pearls in a small separate container and add them just before eating to keep their texture from going rubbery.
Storage
Keeps well in the fridge for up to 4 days in a sealed container. Freezing is not recommended, as the pasta texture turns mushy and the tomatoes and mozzarella don't thaw well.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- Protein
- 38 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sodium
- 520 mg
The rest of the week
TueTurkey Hummus Snack Box
Turkey roll-ups, a cup of hummus, cucumber, pita wedges and grapes.
deli turkey · hummus · cucumber · pita · grapes
~31g proteinFull recipe →
WedDense Bean Salad Remix with Feta and Greens
The bean salad over greens with extra feta; it holds all week without going soggy.
chickpeas · white beans · cucumber · red onion · feta
~24g proteinFull recipe →
ThuChicken Taco Rice Bowl
Rice, black beans, taco-spiced chicken, salsa and cheddar. Microwave 90 seconds.
chicken · rice · black beans · salsa · cheddar
~40g proteinFull recipe →
FriHot Honey Salmon Rice Bowl
Salmon over rice with cucumber and an extra drizzle of hot honey.
salmon · rice · cucumber · hot honey
~34g proteinFull recipe →
Recipe developed by MealPot for the “Everything I packed for work lunches last week” video. Nutrition is estimated from standard (USDA) data for the quantities above. Photo: MealPot, an AI-rendered illustration of the packed lunch.