• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Organize Yourself Skinny
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Meal Prep
  • Freezer Cooking
  • Shop
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Meal Prep
  • Freezer Cooking
  • Shop
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • About
    • Recipes
    • Meal Prep
    • Freezer Cooking
    • Shop
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Mason Jar Salads » Spinach Pasta Salad in a Jar

    Spinach Pasta Salad in a Jar

    Published: Feb 28, 2022 · Modified: Jun 5, 2022 by Tammy Overhoff

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This Spinach Pasta Salad in a Jar is layered with whole grain pasta, fresh mozzarella, tender baby spinach, and a delicious tangy balsamic vinaigrette. Make this spinach salad with pasta on Sunday to enjoy all week for a healthy lunch!

    Spinach Pasta Salad in a Jar

    This post contains affiliate links. I am an affiliate for Amazon Associates and other brands and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. You’re by no means obligated to use my links but, if you do, thank you for supporting Organize Yourself Skinny.

    When it comes to easy healthy work lunches, mason jar salads are at the top of the list. They are simple to prepare, and you don’t need to worry about lunches all week.

    This Protein Power Mason Jar Salad, Detox Salad in a Jar, and this Copycat Ancient Grains Core Life Salad are just a few of my favorites! And now I can add this Spinach Pasta Salad recipe into the rotation.

    Reasons you’ll love this recipe.

    • Easy to prepare. Once you cook the pasta and make the dressing, the salad comes together quickly.
    • Satisfying. Whole grain pasta, high protein fresh mozzarella, and fiber-rich veggies will keep you full and happy all afternoon. 
    • Delicious. You’ll look forward to eating this salad all day!
    • Make-ahead. Layer the ingredients in a mason jar on Sunday to enjoy all week for lunch.

    Ingredients

    ingredients to make spinach pasta salad in a jar.
    • Whole grain pasta. I like to use fusilli pasta because it hugs the dressing perfectly, but any short pasta will work.
    • Balsamic vinaigrette. I love using Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette in this spinach salad with pasta; you can’t beat the flavor. But, in a pinch, you can use a high-quality store-bought balsamic dressing.
    • Grape tomatoes. Any small tomato will work in this salad, and I like to cut them in half to soak up the dressing and make it easier to eat.
    • Fresh mozzarella. My favorite flavor combo is fresh mozzarella, tomato, and balsamic dressing. Adding pasta and spinach creates a complete meal.
    • Baby spinach. I prefer baby spinach leaves over regular spinach because it is delicate enough for salad, milder in flavor, but still offers a lot of nutritional value including vitamin C. It’s also available, cleaned, and ready to use. 

    Supplies

    • 32-ounce mason jars
    • Mason jar lids

    How to Make Spinach Pasta Salad in a Jar

    step by step collage showing how to make spinach salad with pasta and tomatoes.

    In these instructions, I will show you how to layer the spinach pasta salad ingredients into a mason jar. If you prefer to make a big salad for a party, serve a group of friends, or for a side dish, combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl.

    • Start by making the pasta. Bring salted water to a boil, add the pasta, and cook according to package directions until al dente. Set the cooked pasta aside to cool before putting the rest of the salad together.
    • While waiting for the pasta to cool, prepare the homemade balsamic dressing.
    • Put together the mason jar salads. Pour the dressing into each mason jar and then layer in the tomatoes, mozzarella, pasta, and spinach. Place the lid tightly on the jars. Store the spinach pasta salad jars in the refrigerator.
    • Shake the salad and pour it into a large bowl when you’re ready to eat.

    Grab Your FREE Freezer to Flourish Cheat Sheets!

    Learn the power of freezer prep and start making your life easier and healthier today!

    Read our Mason Jar Salad Guide to learn our top tips and tricks to perfect layered salads in a jar every time + get our top mason jar salad recipes.

    spinach pasta salad with pieces of fresh mozzarella and tomatoes.

    Storage tips

    After putting the mason jar salads together, store them in the refrigerator for up to five days.

    spinach salad with pasta layered in a jar.

    Cooking Tips

    • Swap in gluten-free pasta if you have a gluten allergy or sensitivity. You can also use brown rice, quinoa, or other grains.
    • Make sure the pasta cools before adding to the other ingredients. Warm pasta will cause the spinach to wilt and can melt the cheese.
    • A homemade Italian dressing is another favorite in this spinach pasta salad. You can also use a simple vinaigrette with lemon juice or white wine vinegar, garlic, and olive oil.
    • Bulk up the veggies with bell peppers, cucumber, zucchini, red onion, carrots, or any of your favorite vegetables.
    • Use feta cheese for a tangy cheese flavor. For another layer of Greek flavor add some olives. 
    • Sprinkle some fresh Parmesan Cheese in with the pasta for extra Italian flavor.
    • Freeze leftover spinach to use in smoothies or soups down the road.
    • If you want a sweet bite then add mandarin oranges slices in after the tomato layer.
    spinach pasta salad in a bowl.

    Other healthy salad in a jar recipes

    • Steak Salad in a Jar
    • Spicy Thai Salad in a Jar
    • Cobb Salad in a Jar
    • Southwest Chicken Salad in a Jar
    • Healthy Taco Salad in a Jar

    See all of our delicious mason jar salad recipes.

    spinach pasta salad in a jar

    Spinach Pasta Salad

    This Spinach Pasta Salad in Jar is layered with whole grain pasta, fresh mozzarella, tender baby spinach, and a delicious tangy balsamic vinaigrette. Make this spinach salad with pasta on Sunday to enjoy all week for a healthy lunch!
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Lunch, lunch recipe
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: spinach pasta salad, spinach pasta salad recipe, spinach salad with pasta
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes
    Total Time: 35 minutes
    Servings: 5 people
    Calories: 382kcal
    Author: Tammy Overhoff

    Equipment

    • Large pot
    • Strainer
    • 5 32-ounce mason jars
    • 5 mason jar lids

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups dry whole grain fusilli pasta
    • 10 tablespoons Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette
    • 1 quart grape tomatoes kept whole or halved
    • 10 ounces fresh mozzarella cut into bite-sized pieces
    • 10 cups baby spinach

    Instructions

    • Start by making the pasta. Bring salted water to a boil, add the pasta, and cook according to package directions until al dente. Set the cooked pasta aside to cool before putting the rest of the salad together.
    • While waiting for the pasta to cool, prepare the homemade balsamic dressing.
    • Put together the mason jar salads. Pour the dressing into each mason jar and then layer in the tomatoes, mozzarella, pasta, and spinach.
    • Place the lid tightly on the jars. Store the spinach pasta salad jars in the refrigerator.
    • Shake the salad and pour it into a large bowl when you're ready to eat.

    Notes

    Storage tips
    After putting the mason jar salads together, store them in the refrigerator for up to five days.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1g | Calories: 382kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 22g | Fiber: 6g

    Did you make this recipe?

    This is the best Spinach Pasta Salad recipe! And it’s layered into a jar for you to enjoy all week. Did you make it yet? If so, I’d love for you to rate this recipe and leave a comment below. We all learn from each other’s experiences. Also, it would be awesome if you could share a picture on Instagram and tag it #organizeyourselfskinny. I can’t wait to see it.

    Sharing is caring!

    769 shares
    • Share
    • Tweet

    Healthy Pasta Recipes, Healthy Vegetarian Recipes, Lunch Recipes, Mason Jar Salads, Recipes

    About Tammy Overhoff

    Hi, I’m Tammy Overhoff, a busy mom, wife, and entrepreneur. I am the owner, author, and recipe developer here at Organize Yourself Skinny. Since 2011 Organize Yourself Skinny has become a trusted resource for clean eating recipes to meal prep, reviews, and lifestyle hacks to help you fit healthy habits and routines into your busy schedule. Check out my online shop Reset & Flourish for all of my eBooks, Guides, and Bundles!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Linda says

      March 20, 2022 at 10:05 am

      5 stars
      Salad looks delicious. There isn’t enough information to create the food in my WW app. Need sodium, sugar, saturated fats. Would you consider including?

      Reply
    2. Ika says

      February 21, 2016 at 11:18 pm

      Hi, i really want to do this but I have one wuestion, will the spinach be soggy inside the mason jar?thank you anyway.

      Reply
    3. Tammy S says

      February 11, 2016 at 9:01 am

      These say 5 servings. If you are taking to lunch, how are you cutting back to one serving or not eating the same for 5 days.

      Reply
    4. Molly says

      August 22, 2015 at 7:32 pm

      Are they freezable?

      Reply
      • Tammy Kresge says

        August 24, 2015 at 9:58 am

        no mason jar salads are not freezable.

        Reply
    5. Chris Fox says

      February 09, 2014 at 11:44 am

      If you make these up on a Sunday how many days are the good for?

      Reply
      • Bridget says

        February 22, 2014 at 2:46 pm

        5 stars
        Everyone of her mason jar salads say 5-7 days.

        Reply
    6. Mechale brewer says

      January 03, 2014 at 2:12 pm

      That’s a lot of protein per serving. Are you sure that’s correct?

      Reply
      • Tammy says

        January 03, 2014 at 7:32 pm

        Pretty sure but I will double check. I use My Fitness Pal to calculate.

        Reply
        • Gillian says

          May 10, 2014 at 12:17 pm

          what if you want to add mushrooms how would you go about doing that? Are mushrooms hardy enough to sit in the dressing? would it be best if you cooked them before you put them in a jar?

          thank you

          Gillian

    7. Meagan Brown says

      January 03, 2014 at 12:30 pm

      Great idea! Definitely something I will be trying. I’ve always hated how my lettuce gets soggy from the dressing and I hate carrying an extra little container of dressing to add later so thanks for the idea!!!!

      Reply
    8. Cindi says

      December 29, 2013 at 5:21 pm

      5 stars
      You could add grilled cubed chicken to this and it would be even better!!

      Reply
    9. Jennie says

      May 07, 2013 at 2:10 pm

      So you are just closing the lids tightly, not vacuum sealing them??

      Reply
    10. Karol Westbrook says

      April 10, 2013 at 3:07 pm

      I’ve been enjoying these so much! Here is what I am doing about the transporting a bowl dilemma. My boys love to eat salads for lunch but are not about to take a mason jar and bowl to school! So, I make their salads up ahead of time in jars without dressing. I go ahead and put dressing in 2oz. solo containers with lids that I get at a restaurant supply store. All I have to do in the mornings is pour the salad out of a jar into a 3 1/8 cup glad ware container, tuck the dressing container into the salad, and place the lid on top. Even if the dressing leaks, which it never does, it would only get on the salad. Of course croutons, ramen noodles, tortilla strips, etc. are already in baggies. Hope these ideas will help, and I love how you posted this as a recipe, giving exact quantities for a week’s worth of salads. Keep ’em coming!

      Reply
    11. Shannon says

      April 09, 2013 at 12:12 pm

      This is going to be a stupid question, but you don’t shake them up until you’re ready to eat them, right? Just wondering how the mozzarella marinated in the dressing??
      Thanks!

      Reply
      • Bill Sferro says

        January 12, 2014 at 3:56 pm

        I remove my jar from fridge and turn it upside down and let it rest in this position 5 minutes or so. It mixes very nicely and when I plate it I do not have to stir or mix it so much.

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I’m Tammy Overhoff, a busy mom, wife, and entrepreneur. I am the owner, author, and recipe developer here at Organize Yourself Skinny. Since 2011 Organize Yourself Skinny has become a trusted resource for clean eating meal prep recipes, reviews, and lifestyle hacks to help you fit healthy habits and routines into your busy schedule. Check out my online shop Reset & Flourish for all of my eBooks, Guides, and Bundles!

    More about me →

    Soup Recipes

    • overhead picture of pasta fagioli
      Pasta Fagioli
    • Healthy zuppa toscana soup in a bowl.
      Healthy Zuppa Toscana
    • healthy potato soup recipe
      Healthy Potato Soup
    • healthy stuffed pepper soup
      Stuffed Pepper Soup

    Helpful Reviews

    • Tammy Overhoff with her box from Thrive Market
      Thrive Market Review 2023: The Best Thrive Market Products!
    • Tammy Overhoff holding a package of butcher box chicken things and butcher box bacon for her butcher box review
      Honest Butcher Box Review 2023: The Best Butcher Box Meats!
    • Tammy overhoff holding her daily harvest box for her review
      Daily Harvest Review 2023: The Best Daily Harvest Meals!
    • Tammy Overhoff holding her green chef box that she will review
      Green Chef Review 2022: My Honest Opinion
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • FAQS

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Copyright © 2022 Organize Yourself Skinny

    769 shares