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Bowtie pasta salad with teriyaki dressing in large white bowl.

Mandarin Spinach Bowtie Pasta Salad with Teriyaki Dressing

Yield: 6 Servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

Teriyaki Dressing:

  • ⅓ cup neutral flavored oil, like vegetable, canola or avocado
  • ⅓ cup teriyaki sauce (see note)
  • ⅓ cup rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or white wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt, I use coarse, kosher salt
  • Pinch of black pepper

Salad:

  • 8 ounces bowtie pasta, cooked according to package directions, drained and cooled
  • 4 packed cups fresh baby spinach
  • ½ to 1 cup craisins
  • 2 cans (11-ounces each) mandarin oranges, drained
  • 1 (8-ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and slivered
  • ¼ to ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
  • ½ to ¾ cup roasted cashews or honey roasted peanuts
  • 2 cups cooked, diced chicken, tossed with 2-3 tablespoons teriyaki sauce (see note)
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Instructions 

  • For the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a jar, cap with a lid, and shake until well combined (alternately, you can whisk the dressing ingredients together in a bowl until mixed or use a blender).
  • Combine all the salad ingredients except the sesame seeds in a bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad and lightly toss. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Serve immediately (if anticipating leftovers, consider adding dressing to individual portions instead of the salad as a whole so the spinach doesn't get soggy and wilted for leftovers).

Notes

Original Dressing: if you are looking for the original dressing ingredients/amounts included in the first version of this recipe (posted in 2009), here they are: 1 cup canola oil, 1/3 to 2/3 cup bottled teriyaki sauce, 1/3 cup rice vinegar, 1/3 cup cider vinegar, 6 tablespoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
Original Salad Ingredients: 16 ounces pasta, 9-10 ounces spinach, 6 ounces craisins, 2 cans mandarin oranges, 1 can water chestnuts, 1/2 cup chopped parsley, 4 green onions, 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds, 6 ounces honey roasted peanuts, 2 cups cooked chicken.
Chicken: I usually either use cooked chicken tossed in a bit of the teriyaki sauce (rotisserie chicken works great here!) or I brush boneless, skinless chicken breasts with teriyaki sauce and grill them - yum!
Teriyaki Sauce: there are a lot of storebought, bottled teriyaki brands available. My recommendation is to use one that you like the flavor of (I recently used the Panda Express mandarin teriyaki sauce, and it was tasty). I also love this homemade teriyaki sauce (although I haven't tried it for this salad yet).