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.

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.

Perfect Pesto Pasta Salad Recipe

Making the perfect pesto pasta salad isn’t so much about the pasta salad. Having just the pasta and the pesto isn’t quite enough. After all, a salad has at least a handful of ingredients to become a salad. This salad will require peas, uncooked rotini, pine nuts, green olives, cherry tomatoes, and some olive oil. 

These ingredients will get you to the perfect pesto pasta salad. However, there is one more step that is just as important, the pesto sauce. You can make a half pesto pasta salad if you want but the sauce takes this salad to the next level.

Basil Pesto Ingredients

Basil pesto is a major component to pesto pasta salad. You can easily find pesto sauce, more specifically, basil pesto sauce premade at almost any grocery store. But there is something better about making your own pesto sauce at home. This process is easier than you think and won’t take much time at all. 

You just need fresh basil leaves, grated parmesan-Reggiano, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic cloves, and some salt and pepper. Again, don’t worry, most of this will be handled by a food processor or blender. You will not need to chop anything or slice or dice or anything like that. 

Pesto Pasta 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!

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