Simple Roast Turkey Asian Pasta Salad

It is finally summer! Time for outdoor gatherings, picnics, barbeques, and al fresco dining. With that comes the need to bring already prepared items for various styles of potluck dining, so we wanted to give a great fresh and nutritious pasta salad. It uses our already cooked Farmers and Cooks Roast Turkey breast which is a real single turkey breast, so it can be put into this recipe and stand next to fresh vegetables just as unprocessed!

Instead of going more Italian with the flavors for this pasta salad, we took inspiration from Asian flavors. It is a fun twist with no real cooking required outside of cooking the noodles, and that can be done ahead of time, so all you have to do at meal time is assemble! If you are looking to make this a dish or side for throughout your week, we recommend keeping the turkey, noodles, dressing, and spinach separate from the other ingredients which are fine to be mixed together. We love that this can be used as a side of the main course depending on the serving size, and of course can be used all at once as well for a large gathering or party.

If this is the first you are hearing of Farmers and Cooks, welcome! We are much different than the majority of deli meat you see today. Ever look at a ‘turkey breast’ even one labeled ‘all natural’ or ‘organic’ and wonder why it is the size of an entire turkey? The ‘normal’ process for deli meat is to macerate or chop up many pieces of many different turkeys. Some of it is turkey breast, and then all of this meat is put into a mold to give it that ‘turkey shape’. You will see all of theirs come in the same shape and size every time. Our turkey breast is just that – a single cut of meat from a single turkey. If you look in a deli case with our roasts, you will see they are a variety of shapes and sizes. The round shape and lines come from netting we use during when we cook them, but we always only use real meat, real ingredients, and real cooking to make our roasts. That is why you can use them in all different recipes and applications, unlike other deli meats.

Simple Roast Turkey Breast Asian Pasta Salad

-makes 4 servings as a main entree.

Ingredients

Salad:
1/2 lb. Farmers & Cooks Simple Turkey (buy as thick cut as possible or a whole piece)

1 pound farfalle pasta (bowties)
1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 small can water chestnuts (diced)
1 can mandarin oranges (drained)
1 small cucumber
2 Tbsp sweet onion
12 oz baby spinach
Salt and Pepper

Dressing:
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar
Salt & Pepper

Prep

Cook pasta in well salted boiling water per box instructions (usually 8-10 minutes) until al dante.
Wash cucumber.
Dice water chestnuts, cucumber, and turkey.
Mix all ingredients together and salt & pepper to taste.
Pour half of dressing onto cooked pasta. Stir until evenly coated, and put in the refrigerator.