Spinach, chicken & fennel pasta salad

Prep 30 mins | Cook 10 mins | Serves 4-6

For convenience, use a barbecued chicken for this recipe. The salad is also great tossed with 100g crumbled feta cheese.

300g dried casarecce*, penne or fusilli pasta
3 green onions (shallots), thinly sliced
¹⁄₃ cup toasted pine nuts
3 cups cooked shredded chicken
¹⁄₂ cup flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 small bulb fennel, trimmed, halved and very thinly sliced
50g baby spinach leaves
¹⁄₄ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs lemon juice

*Casarecce is a slightly rolled tubular pasta with a firm texture, it’s perfect for this salad.

Step 1 Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water, following packet directions, until al dente. Drain and refresh in cold water. Drain well until pasta is dry.

Step 2 Place pasta, green onions, pine nuts, chicken, parsley, fennel, spinach, olive oil and lemon juice in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Gently toss to combine and serve.

Good for you ... Fennel

A good source of dietary fibre, which helps the intestine function normally and also vitamin C, a vitamin that contributes to the function of the body’s normal immune system.

Has virtually no fat and few kilojoules so is a useful food for those trying to control weight.

A source of potassium.