Italian Potato Pasta Salad

I saw this recipe at Epicurious for Minestrone Salad and knew that I wanted to play with this. I made a number of twists in the recipe and loved the way that it came out. The pesto sauce probably adds a good deal of calories, but this is not really all that bad for you since it needs to cover a whole lot of salad. What it will be amazing for are pot-luck dinners or luncheons. We absolutely loved this and I think it will be something that we make over and over again. It definitely keeps well. So by all accounts, this is a great potato and pasta salad.

Ingredients (Serves 8):

2 Chicken breast, skinless, cut in two think halves
3/4 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp Black pepper
1 tsp Basil (dried)
1 tsp Oregano (dried)
Olive oil spray
24 oz Fingerling (or baby red) potatoes
1 lbs Green beans, cut in half
13.25 to 1 pound Pasta (penne or rotini or gemelli)
1 cup Pesto (prepared)
1 15 1/2 oz. Cannellini beans (drained and rinsed)
Two large Roasted red peppers (around 4-6 oz), sliced into strips
2 tbsp Capers, drained
12-15 Kalamata olives, cut in half
Additional kosher salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Mix kosher salt, black pepper, dried basil and dried oregano in a small bowl. Lightly spray the chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle the spice mix on top of the chicken. Cook on Grill or grill pan over medium heat for 6 minutes each side until done. Remove from heat and cover with foil.
2. Place fingerling potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes. Let the potatoes cool and then cut into quarters.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add green beans (they should be cut to the same size as the pasta that you are using). Cook the beans for around 2 minutes (until they are bright green). Scoop the vegetables out of the hot water with a strainer and rinse them with cold water. Then set aside.
4. Add pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta and put it in a large mixing bowl.
5. Slice the chicken into thin strips.
6. Into the large mixing bowl, toss in the cooked potatoes, green beans, pesto sauce, Chicken, Cannellini beans, roasted red peppers, capers, kalamata olives. Stir until the pesto sauce is spread over the full salad.

You can serve it cold or at room temperature.

Enjoy!