Pesto Pasta Salad
This pesto pasta salad is bursting with juicy tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and is all tossed in a flavorful homemade pesto. It’s the perfect quick and tasty side dish for all your summer cookouts and gatherings!
Ingredients
- 1 lb pasta farfalle, rotini, penne, cavatappi
- 2 Tablespoons pasta cooking water
- ¾ cup homemade or store-bought pesto* see notes
- 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes cut in half
- 1 cup mozzarella balls sliced in half or quartered
- ¼ cup red onion diced small
- 8-12 fresh basil leaves sliced thin
- Ground black pepper and salt to taste
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese to taste and garnish
Instructions
- Bring a large pot filled with water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions to al dente. When the pasta is almost done cooking, remove 2 tablespoons of cooking water and place in a small dish. Once cooked, drain and shake out excess water.
- Place pasta in a large mixing bowl. Add the pesto, ¼ cup at a time, in addition to the reserved pasta cooking water, and stir well to combine. Taste and adjust amount of pesto to your liking. Allow the pasta to cool to room temperature, about 8-10 minutes.
- Once cool, fold in the tomatoes, mozzarella, and red onion and stir well. Add the fresh basil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve room temperature or cold with parmesan cheese.
Nutrition Facts
per one serving (recipe makes ~8 servings)
307 Calories, 13 gram fat, 12 gram protein, 38 gram total carbohydrate, 5 grams of fiber, 3 grams sugar, 84 mg sodium
Notes:
** Refer to my pesto recipe if you want to make a fresh batch. If using store-bought I recommend choosing the refrigerated pesto over the shelf-stable as it tastes more fresh. When adding the pesto start with less and you can always add more to your liking. The reserved pasta water helps the pesto spread more easily onto the pasta. Let the pasta cool to room temperature before adding the cheese and tomato so they don’t melt. For this pasta salad I suggest small shaped pasta. Any shape that has plenty of surface area and grooves for capturing the pesto sauce is usually best. If you feel like adding more veggies: sun-dried tomatoes, broccoli, peas, asparagus, roasted red peppers, grilled zucchini, olives, and more You can also add a boost of protein by adding grilled chicken, shrimp, or beans
** Refer to my pesto recipe if you want to make a fresh batch. If using store-bought I recommend choosing the refrigerated pesto over the shelf-stable as it tastes more fresh. When adding the pesto start with less and you can always add more to your liking. The reserved pasta water helps the pesto spread more easily onto the pasta. Let the pasta cool to room temperature before adding the cheese and tomato so they don’t melt. For this pasta salad I suggest small shaped pasta. Any shape that has plenty of surface area and grooves for capturing the pesto sauce is usually best. If you feel like adding more veggies: sun-dried tomatoes, broccoli, peas, asparagus, roasted red peppers, grilled zucchini, olives, and more You can also add a boost of protein by adding grilled chicken, shrimp, or beans