This post is sponsored by Barilla®, but as always, all words and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting me in my collaborations with the sponsors who help keep My Colombian Recipes running!

I’ve partnered with Barilla® this month to create a meal that celebrates family and togetherness, but especially moms, aunts, grandmothers and other female caregivers.

I bring you this flavorful and hearty penne pasta salad with grilled flank steak, arugula, avocado and chimichurri dressing, to celebrate all the wonderful women in your life. The chimichurri is so tasty I could eat it with a spoon. In fact, I usually make a double batch and keep it in the fridge for drizzling over grilled beef, shrimp, chicken, pork, fish, and for dipping vegetables.

I love salads that are filling enough to be a meal and this one definitely fits the bill. The flavors are incredible and well balanced. Trust me, although it may serve four, you will want to keep the whole bowl for yourself. This Penne Pasta, Steak and Chimichurri Salad is one of those recipes that I find myself making again and again, all year round. The recipe makes a lot, can be served warm or cool, and keeps well, so this is the perfect make-ahead picnic or potluck dish.

There are a lot of steps to make this salad, but you’ll find it comes together surprisingly quickly. You can make the chimichurri the day before and while the pasta is cooking, you can place the steak on the grill. All that’s left is to toss everything together with the chimichurri sauce.

$Penne Pasta, Steak and Chimichurri Salad \mycolombianrecipes.com$

Barilla® pastas are available at Walmart and other stores nationwide. To learn more about Barilla® products, visit their website or follow them on Facebook or Twitter.

Ingredients

4 servings

Salad

3/4 pound of Barilla® penne pasta
2 cups baby arugula
1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and sliced lengthwise
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
2 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and quarter

Steak

1 ½ pounds flank steak, trimmed
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper

Chimichurri

1 garlic clove, peeled
1 ½ cups fresh parsley
½ cup fresh cilantro
¼ cup chopped green onions
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper

Directions

To prepare the chimichurri: Place all the chimichurri ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Transfer to a container.

To prepare steak: Rub with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the steak on the preheated grill and cook 5 minutes on each side for medium doneness or cook until desired degree of doneness. Allow the steak to rest for 10 minutes then slice against the grain.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the 2 Tbs. salt and the pasta. Cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until the pasta is al dente (tender but firm to the bite), according to the package instructions.

Assemble the salad: Drizzle the pasta with half of the chimichurri and toss to mix well.

Add the arugula, tomatoes, carrots, onions and mix well. Arrange the cooked egg, slices of avocado and beef on top of the salad, drizzle with the rest of the chimichurri and serve.