I love pasta salad recipes that are refreshing and simple enough that anyone will enjoy them. Whether served on their own or as a side to a beautiful meal, they work. Yes, this really is the PERFECT pesto pasta salad to make anytime of the year but I especially love the bright red and green colors during the holidays; they brighten up the table and add a classic festive touch!
Yes, this really is the PERFECT pesto pasta salad to make anytime of the year. The colors are beautiful and the flavors please the palate.
While enjoying the perfect pesto pasta salad during the holidays is amazing, you don’t have to wait all year. You can make this recipe whenever you want and the ingredients are almost always in season. By adding pesto and a few other key ingredients, you can really change the way we look at pasta salad and how often we want to eat it.
Ingredients for Pesto Pasta Salad:
1 cup peas (frozen or fresh)
4 cups uncooked rotini
1 cup fresh basil pesto
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 tablespoons finely chopped green olives, or olive tapenade
12 ounces cherry tomatoes
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
Fresh basil leaves
Basil Pesto Ingredients:
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
3 garlic cloves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions:
Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package. Make sure its not too soft.
Strain pasta and then run cold water through it for a bit until it is cooled down.
Combine the pine nuts and basil in a food processor with a few pulses.
Add the garlic and pulse a bit more.
Slowly add olive oil in a slow stream while pulsing in the food processor.
Make sure you scrape the walls of the food processor to get all ingredients properly mixed in.
Add the cheese and pulse until nicely blended.
Put the pasta in a big bowl. Mix in the fresh basil pesto, green olives, and pine nuts.
Add the cherry tomatoes, chopped fresh basil leaves, peas, and olive oil.
Add salt and pepper to taste and place in the fridge to chill.
Chill for an hour and serve! We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Perfect Pesto Pasta Salad
Ingredients
Basil Pesto Ingredients
- 2 cups basil leaves fresh
- 1/2 cup Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano Cheese grated
- 1/2 cup olive oil extra virgin
- 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
- 3 garlic cloves
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Pesto Pasta Salad
- 1 cup peas frozen or fresh
- 4 cups rotini uncooked
- 1 cup basil pesto fresh
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 2 tbsp green olives or olive tapenade finely chopped
- 12 oz cherry tomatoes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- fresh basil leaves
Instructions
Basil Pesto Directions
- Combine the pine nuts and basil in a food processor with a few pulses.
- Add the garlic and pulse a bit more.
- Slowly add olive oil in a slow stream while pulsing in the food processor.
- Make sure you scrape the walls of the food processor to get all ingredients properly mixed in.
- Add the cheese and pulse until nicely blended.
Basil Pesto Pasta Salad Directions
- Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package. Make sure its not too soft.
- Strain pasta and then run cold water through it for a bit until it is cooled down.
- Put the pasta in a big bowl. Mix in the fresh basil pesto, green olives, and pine nuts.
- Add the cherry tomatoes, chopped fresh basil leaves, peas, and olive oil.
- Add salt and pepper to taste and place in the fridge to chill for one hour.
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Check out what the other ABB Sisters have for you as well! They are amazing and always have the best resources, recipes and content to make life that much better.
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