Pasta salad is one of those dishes that always catches our attention anytime we come across it. We think it has to do with how many different ways it can be made, so there’s always something unexpected about it, intriguing us from the get-go and ensuring we scoop a generous helping onto our plate. If you had pasta salad a lot growing up and mainly associate it with a heavy coating of mayonnaise, let us assure you things have changed; pasta salads aren’t what they used to be, so don’t get hung up thinking you’re only getting a one-note scoop of blandness…that couldn’t be further from the truth, especially with this tasty dish.

No mayo to be seen here, this is an Asian-inspired sesame chicken pasta salad that’s bursting with flavor and freshness. While this easily makes for a tasty side dish, there’s enough protein packed in here to make it a very feasible main course as well; bow tie pasta, chicken, romaine and almonds fuel you up, with a bright, citrus-y kick from the mandarin oranges and fresh ginger to kick the flavor into high gear. Along with that, we’ve got fresh cilantro and green onions to keep things extra refreshing – this is a filling, yet still light pasta salad that’s perfect for lunch or dinner throughout the week.

While the main ingredients speak for themselves, it’s the combination of ingredients for the dressing that really ties everything together and makes the whole thing sing. To keep things light, but full of flavor, we used rice vinegar, soy sauce and sesame oil as the base, built on further by the garlic, ginger, sesame seeds and red pepper flakes. The resulting dressing coats all the main ingredients perfectly, plus balances out the sweetness of the mandarins and remind you of dishes from your favorite take-out place. You can’t beat this!