Hearty Chicken Pasta Salad

Recipe from Mary Lee O-Brien

16 June 2026: Pool Party chicken pasta salad recipe - a family recipe that's been passed down through several generations from my Aunt ChatGPT. Mary Lee.

(Serves 8–10)

For the salad

1 pound rotini or bow-tie pasta
3 cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded (rotisserie chicken works great)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cucumber, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
½ red onion, finely chopped
1 cup mozzarella pearls or cubed mozzarella
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

For the dressing

¾ cup Italian dressing
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water until cool.
In a large bowl, combine the pasta, chicken, tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, onion, mozzarella, and Parmesan.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the Italian dressing, mayonnaise, mustard, and Italian seasoning.
Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
If the pasta absorbs some dressing while chilling, stir in a little extra Italian dressing just before serving.

Make-Ahead Tips

Can be made the day before.
Transport in a cooler with ice packs.
Garnish with fresh parsley or basil just before serving. 

Turkey Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups

 Recipe from Amy Comiskey

This makes 16 roll ups.

Ingredients:

1 package lasagna noodles (use the kind you Boil, not the no boil ones)

1 jar tomato sauce (I used Lowes Spicy Arrabbiata sauce)

1 can fire roasted tomatoes

1 lb ground turkey

1 small container fresh baby spinach

32 oz. Ricotta cheese (I used part skim)

1 egg

~1 tsp Italian seasoning

~1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 package shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1) Boil large pot of water and cook lasagna according to package (suggest cooking in 2 batches so the noodles don't stick)

2) Mix tomato sauce and fire roasted tomatoes together

3) While lasagna is cooking brown ground turkey and drain off any excess liquid/fat then mix with a little bit of sauce

4) When lasagna is cooked, carefully coat with a bit of sauce and then lay out flat to cool for a bit

5) Chiffonade (thin slice) the baby spinach

6) Mix together Ricotta, egg, Italian seasoning and garlic powder to taste

7) when cheese, egg, etc. are well mixed add in spinach and stir well to coat it all and evenly distribute

8) Coat the bottom of a ceramic baking dish with a bit of sauce

9) When lasagna noodles are cool enough to handle lay out one at a time on parchment paper and smear with cheese/spinach mix leaving about 1-2 inches at top of noodle clear, sprinkle with a bit of turkey and shredded mozzarella

10) Starting from bottom roll up the loaded lasagna noodle

11) Place upright in the baking dish, repeat

12) Lightly drizzle top and dish side of noodles with any remaining sauce

13) Cover with tinfoil 

14) Bake at 375 degrees for 30-45 minutes 

Mediterranean Strata

 

Recipe from Monica Pileggi

4 October 2022
 
The Brunswick Forest Cookbook Club organizer (Alan) selected “The Breakfast Bible 100+ Favorite Recipes To Start The Day from Williams Sonoma.”
 
I selected the Mediterranean Strata. It was very easy to put together.
 
Serves 4-6 (10-12 servings for a pot luck dinner).
 
1 T unsalted butter
1/2 lb crusty Italian bread, day-old, cut into 1-inch cubes (I used a French baguette)
1 14 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained well and chopped
1/3 C Kalamata olives, pitted and halved (I didn’t read this correctly and thought it said 1/2 cups).
1/4 C oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and sliced (I chopped them)
1/4 lb mozzarella cheese, shredded (I small-diced the cheese)
1.5 T grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 C lightly packed fresh basil leaves, chopped
6 large eggs
2 C. whole milk (I used 1.75 cups half and half; and 1/4 cup water)
Salt and freshly pepper
 
Butter the bottom and sides of a 9”x13” baking dish that is 2” deep. Place the bread cubes in a single layer in the prepared dish. Top with the artichoke hearts, olives sun-dried tomatoes, mozzarella, Parmesan, and basil, spreading the ingredients out evenly.
 
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and season with salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture over the strata. Cover with aluminum foil and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour, or refrigerate for up to 24 hours.  (I did the 1-hour method).
 
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
 
Bake the strata, covered for 20 minutes.  Uncover and continue to bake until the eggs are set and the strata is golden brown, about 20 minutes longer.
 
Let cool slightly, the cut into squares and serve.

Overall, a very easy dish to make and quite tasty.