Spinach Pasta Salad with Mandarin Oranges and Strawberries

After a big holiday celebration, I bet a lot of you are filing away recipes of your favorite foods. Before you put those all away, I have one more to add to your pile.  This Spinach Pasta Salad with Mandarin Oranges and Strawberries is going to be a salad you'll be making several more times this summer and throughout the rest of the year.  It's light, sweet, tangy, and it can stand on its own as a meal if you add some chicken or tuna to this fruity, nutty salad.

So how was your Fourth of July?  Ours was a bit fast and furious, but we hade a great time with family and friends.  We first headed up north a bit to Brook, Indiana where I spent many a 4th of July celebrations with my family.  Sadly, I don't know as many people as I used to, but there were still some familiar faces to hug and kiss while we were there.

The big deal at Brook is actually a 2-fer: You watch the Parade, and then you wander down to the old school, now called the Brook Community Center, for their most famous smoked pork chop meals.  Oh my, they did not disappoint.  My whole family was there, and we were able to chat and get the latest and greatest from everyone....well, everyone except Josh.  He is now an Army Major, and it's hard to keep up with where he is from day to day, except when he started tweeting about being stuck on a plane in Philly.  That was kind of fun to read (But probably not quite as fun to write!)

After the fun of family time, we scooted back here to host a small gathering of friends.  This time Steve, aka Tall Guy, was able to join us.  Poor guy, he has been working in between rains, like most farmers have been doing, to get the beans sprayed and, in some places, corn.  He was my head grill master!  Hamburgers, pork burgers, and hot dogs were on the menu along with the usual pitch-in fare, and this salad was my contribution to the fun!

Everyone said it was a keeper!

I love this salad because it's super easy to make, and it really is a healthy side dish to add to a big table at a gathering of family or friends.  If you can boil water, you can make this easy salad that will look like you slaved for hours.

The recipe below has affiliate links in it so you can make this salad like I did.

Printable recipe:

Spinach Pasta Salad with Mandarin Oranges and Strawberries

Ingredients

• 1 Bunch Spinach from the produce aisle
• 2 11 oz. cans Mandarin Oranges, drained
• 1 pint Strawberries, thinly sliced
• 2 pkg. Fresh Gourmet Cranberries and Glazed Walnuts
• 8 oz. Farfalle (Bowtie) Pasta
• 1 16 oz. bottle Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing

Cooking Directions

1. Boil water and cook pasta as directed on its box, drain, and cool.
2. While the pasta is cooking, clean and prepare spinach, drain the oranges, and slice the strawberries. 
3. Add all these ingredients into a large serving bowl.
4. Add the 2 packages of cranberries and glazed walnuts
5. Pour salad dressing over all the ingredients, tossed until all are well mixed together.

The inspiration for this salad came from a Pinterest post I found from Jenn at MotherThyme.