Loaded with fresh veggies and grilled chicken, this satisfying Copycat Macaroni Salad Insalata Florentine is a light main dish salad that’s perfect for lunch or dinner!
Have you ever heard of ladies who lunch? It’s kind of a funny term. It just sounds so fahncy. Maybe it’s the idea of using lunch as a verb. You just know it’s not gonna be a quick trip to Mickey D’s, right? So I actually looked it up and turns out ladies who lunch are basically rich, well-dressed women who meet to eat lunch during the week. Think Sex and the City but with ladies who don’t work. And who probably call everyone “dahling” and drink tea from fancy cups.
For some reason, the term came to mind when I made this salad. Admittedly, I’m not a huge fan of main dish pasta salad. If I’m going to have pasta as a main dish, I prefer it to be hot. If I want a salad with chicken in it, it should also have lettuce. But I made an exception for this Copycat Macaroni Grill Insalata Florentine and I’m so glad I did. It’s fancy, like something these ladies who lunch might describe as “delectable, dahling” as they lunch before visiting a local art gallery.
Any of you have a baby shower coming up? This Copycat Macaroni Grill Insalata Florentine would also be the perfect dish to serve to your guests. It’s guaranteed to be a hit, chock full of red onion, fresh and sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, black olives, pepperoncini, toasted pine nuts, and chicken and tossed with a delicious garlic-lemon vinaigrette and Parmesan. It’s the perfect low-fat meal for a summer day. It’s hearty and satisfying, yet light enough that you won’t feel like you need to be pushed out in a wheelbarrow after you eat it.
- SALAD
- 6 ounces orzo pasta, cooked and chilled
- ½ red onion, chopped
- ½ large tomato, diced
- ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped
- 1 2-25-oz can sliced black olives, drained
- ½ cup fresh spinach, shredded
- ¼ cup pepperoncini, chopped
- 1 cup cooked chicken, cubed
- ⅓ cup garlic-lemon vinaigrette
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Shaved or shredded Parmesan, for garnish
- GARLIC-LEMON VINAIGRETTE
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 3 Tbsp honey
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp roasted or plain garlic (I found minced roasted garlic in a jar—awesome!)
- ¾ cup olive oil
- 1-1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
- FOR VINAIGRETTE: Combine all vinaigrette ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and frothy. Pour into an airtight container and chill until ready to serve.
- FOR SALAD: Combine all ingredients except Parmesan in a medium bowl. Toss with vinaigrette. Divide into four bowls and sprinkle each with Parmesan cheese.
