Pesto Pasta Salad – Spend With Pennies

Tomatoes, kalamata olives, and mozzarella balls are tossed with pasta in a creamy pesto dressing for a lightweight and flavor-packed picnic or potluck dish.

Ingredient Suggestions for Pesto Pasta Salad

• Pasta: Search for pasta shapes with grooves, tubes, or twists for the pesto dressing to cling to. Penne, rotini, cavatappi, and bow-tie are nice choices.
• Dressing: Use store-bought pesto or make do-it-yourself basil pesto. Attempt swapping out the mayonnaise for plain Greek yogurt for fewer energy and a lighter taste.
• Veggies: Sundried tomatoes present a chewy texture whereas grape or cherry tomatoes add colour and sweetness. You can too use chopped spinach, diced cucumbers, corn kernels, peas, or diced bell peppers.
• Cheese: Use bite-sized bocconcini balls or lower a bigger ball of recent mozzarella into small cubes. Feta, gorgonzola, or blue cheese crumbles can be utilized as a substitute of mozzarella.

Storing Pesto Pasta Salad

Prep pesto pasta salad a minimum of 2 hours however as much as two days forward of time. Toss components collectively, cowl, and chill within the fridge till able to serve.

Preserve leftover pesto pasta salad in a coated container within the fridge for as much as 3 days. Freezing isn’t really helpful.

Did you make this Pesto Pasta Salad? Remember to depart a score and remark beneath!

5 from 34 votes↑ Click stars to rate now!
Or to leave a comment, click here!

Pesto Pasta Salad

Pesto pasta salad is straightforward to make and might be served as a facet dish or important dish!

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Chill Time 2 hours hours

Complete Time 2 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Cook dinner ModeForestall your display from going darkish

• In a big pot of salted water, prepare dinner pasta al dente, and drain nicely. Rinse beneath chilly water to cease cooking.

• In a small bowl, whisk pesto, mayonnaise, and crimson wine vinegar.

• In a big bowl, mix the drained pasta, grape tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, mozzarella, and olives. Add the dressing and toss nicely to mix. Style and season with extra salt and pepper if desired.

• Refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours earlier than serving.

• Chop recent basil and sprinkle on high simply earlier than serving

• Rinse the pasta in chilly water to cease the cooking course of and maintain pasta agency.
• Because the salad sits, it is going to soak up dressing, so make sure you gown generously.
• Non-compulsory additions embody parmesan cheese, recent spinach, capers, or a squeeze of lemon juice.

*If utilizing do-it-yourself pesto, the pasta salad and leftover pesto needs to be refrigerated and consumed inside 3 days.
 

Energy: 338 | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 9g | Fats: 19g | Saturated Fats: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 5g | Monounsaturated Fats: 3g | Trans Fats: 0.02g | Ldl cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 443mg | Potassium: 311mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 767IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 87mg | Iron: 1mg

Vitamin info offered is an estimate and can differ primarily based on cooking strategies and types of components used.

Course Pasta, Salad, Aspect Dish

Delicacies American, Italian

© SpendWithPennies.com. Content material and pictures are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is each inspired and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.