Recipe of the Week: Better-Than-B-Plus Pasta Salad

Makes 5 Servings

Now that your kids are halfway through the school year, they may be getting a wee bit tired of the lunches you’ve been packing (we hope you don’t take this too personally). To shake things up in the lunch box, try the Meal Makeover Moms’ new, kid-friendly pasta salad recipe. When Liz’s 5th grader took it to school for the first time, he came home and said (and this is no lie), “the flavor of the bell pepper was heaven in my mouth.” This easy lunch (or it can be a dinner) gets an A-plus from us!

8 ounces dried bow tie pasta (3 generous cups)
1 small red bell pepper, cut into 3/4-inch dice (about 1 cup)
8 ounces cooked chicken, cut into 3/4-inch dice (about 1 ½ cups)
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/3 cup Italian or Caesar salad dressing

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions. When done, drain, rinse with cold water and drain well.

2. Place the pasta in a large bowl. Add the bell pepper, chicken, feta cheese, and salad dressing and stir to combine.

3. Serve in individual lunch box containers.

Moms’ Tips: If you make this the night before, feel free to add a bit more dressing if the pasta absorbed it all. And if your kids don’t like bell peppers, add a cup of peeled, seeded, and diced cucumber instead.

Nutrition Information per Serving (1 ½ cups): 330 calories, 10g fat (3.5g saturated, 0.3g omega-3), 460mg sodium, 38g carbohydrate,2 g fiber, 23g protein, 20% vitamin A, 60% vitamin C, 10 % calcium, 15% iron

Janice Newell Bissex, MS, RD and Liz Weiss, MS, RD are The Meal Makeover Moms, and together, they’re on a mission to help busy families eat better. For more recipes, check out their blog, Meal Makeover Moms’ Kitchen or listen to their weekly podcast, Cooking with the Moms .

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