A really good pasta salad will always have you invited back to the cookout! Our Pesto Pasta Salad balances bold flavor and perfect texture with a rainbow of garden veggies, spiral pasta, and cute li’l mozzarella balls. And did we mention the pesto? Cause there’s pesto – and plenty of it! This pasta salad recipe is quick, easy, and a guaranteed good time for a crowd.
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I’ve never met a green I haven’t tried to turn into pesto, but there’s something to be said for the classics. Basil pesto is one of our greatest gifts from the flavor gods. Or rather, the Genovese. (Who, coincidentally, also gave us focaccia. Thank you kindly, Genoa.)
Baisil. Garlic. Pine Nuts. Parmesan. Olive oil. All pulverized together into a glorious, gritty paste. It’s an absolute workhorse when it comes to flavor and a rockstar in the texture department. Which makes pesto the perfect partner for pasta.
Whether it’s mixed into a pesto cream sauce or on its own, pesto loves to work itself into every little nook and cranny of fusillis and rigatonis for big bursts of flavor in every bite.
Our aptly named pesto pasta salad has a lot more going for it than just basil pesto, though. What started as a spin on my beloved caprese pasta salad recipe became a whole new produce-forward side dish with the addition of cucumber, lemon juice, and sweet peas.
Now, this new version of pasta salad with pesto ticks multiple mealtime boxes. It’s a hearty vegetarian pasta salad recipe that doesn’t skimp on satisfaction. It’s a great shareable side dish for summertime shindigs. And you can add it to your arsenal of pesto recipes to pull out the next time you realize you haven’t tended your basil in the past hour or so…
Seriously. Go check the garden. You’ve probably got 12 tons of basil to harvest. You’re welcome!
Ingredients
You’ll need the following ingredients to make our pesto pasta salad. Find ingredient notes and substitutions below the collage.
- Pasta: choose a short, ridged pasta like rotini, fusilli, rigatoni, or shells. The short shape makes for easier bites, while the ridged or twisted texture will easily capture and cling to the pesto sauce.
- Kosher salt: season the pasta water with salt to infuse the pasta with flavor from the inside out. We recommend at least one tablespoon of kosher salt per 4-5 quarts of water.
- Pesto sauce: use good-quality, store-bought pesto sauce (we love the DeLallo brand) or make your own if you have a favorite pesto recipe!
- Olive oil: a healthy splash of olive oil will prevent the pesto pasta salad from drying out.
- Acid: every great, non-mayo pasta salad incorporates a nice hit of acid. Use champagne vinegar, white vinegar, or lemon juice.
- Veggies: a variety of veggies makes pasta salad both interesting and balanced. We always choose at least one “crunchy” vegetable for texture and at least one “soft” vegetable for hydration. For our pesto pasta salad, cucumbers lend crunch, cherry tomatoes bring moisture, and thawed frozen peas bring a slightly sweet note.
- Fresh mozzarella cheese: we love cheese in a pasta salad, and fresh mozzarella is a natural companion to basil pesto. Choose a small varietal like pearls or bocconcini. If you can’t purchase either of these specific mozzarella cheeses, diced a ball or log of fresh mozzarella cheese into ½″ cubes.
- Fresh basil leaves: sweet and peppery, fresh basil highlights the pesto notes and brings a bright, earthy finish to this pasta salad.
How to Make Pesto Pasta Salad
- Pick your pesto! Make this pasta salad using your favorite store-bought pesto sauce (we love the DeLallo brand) or homemade pesto sauce. This recipe is built around basil pesto, but use any pesto sauce that you love!
- Cook the pasta in salted water for 2 minutes past al dente. Pasta cooking times vary based on the brand and shape, so check the package instructions for specifics.
- Drain the pasta, then transfer to a large bowl. Do not rinse the pasta. Add the olive oil, vinegar, and ¾ cup of pesto sauce to the warm, cooked pasta. Toss until well combined, then transfer to the fridge to chill for at least 1 hour and up to overnight. During this chilling period, the warm pasta will absorb the pesto sauce.
- Thirty minutes before serving, remove the pasta from the fridge and set on the counter to come to room temperature.
- Just before serving, add the remaining pesto sauce, tomatoes, cucumber, thawed peas, and fresh mozzarella to the pasta. Toss until very well combined, then taste for seasoning. Adjust the salt, pepper, and/or acid (vinegar or lemon juice) until the flavor sings.
- Sprinkle the basil leaves over the pasta salad, then serve right away at room temperature. Enjoy!
Essential Tips for Perfect Pasta Salad
If you’ve ever run afoul of a pasta salad recipe that turned out soggy, dry, or flavorless, you know first-hand that “bad” pasta salad is totally a thing. Luckily, a few tips and tricks will ensure you’re serving the best possible pasta salad the first time, and every time!
- Shape matters! Choose a short or bite-sized pasta shape with ridges or twists. The small size allows for balanced, fork-able bites, while textured pasta shapes cling to hearty sauces like pesto. Avoid smooth noodle shapes, like elbow pasta, where the sauce or dressing will slip off too easily.
- Cook it! Cook pasta past al dente for the best texture. Pasta noodles will firm up as they cool; for bite-tender pasta, we recommend cooking two minutes past “al dente”.
- Sauce it while it’s hot! Toss pasta with pesto sauce immediately after draining, while it’s still warm. Avoid rinsing the pasta – this will wash away the starches that help the sauce adhere to the noodles. Warm, starchy pasta absorbs the sauce better.
- Sauce it twice. Add most of the pesto to the warm pasta just after draining, but reserve about a quarter cup to re-dress the pasta just before adding mix-ins and serving. Saucing and tossing twice achieves two goals – first, you won’t end up overdressing the pasta salad; and secondly, you’ll ensure the pesto pasta salad is perfectly moist just before serving.
- Balance the texture. The best veggie pasta salads have a variety of textures for balanced bites. Incorporate crunchy and juicy mix-ins to strike the perfect balance. Soft veggies (like tomatoes) and juicy cheeses (like fresh mozzarella) will help prevent the pasta salad from drying out; firmer veggies (like cucumbers) stay crisp for several days.
- Balance the tang. Pasta salads without mayo almost always benefit from a healthy hit of acid – but not too much (save your super tangy vinaigrettes for a crisp green salad!). We add a small splash of acid to balance the rich, nutty flavor from the pesto sauce. We use champagne vinegar, but lemon juice or white wine vinegar work really well too.
Storing and Serving
- Pasta salad is best served at room temperature, not chilled or cold. DO allow the pasta to cool after saucing, but reserve the mix-ins and add them just before serving.
- Make it ahead. Cook and sauce the pasta up to 48 hours in advance. The pasta will absorb tons of flavor, but the mix-ins won’t get sad or soggy.
- If you have leftovers, store them in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Allow the pasta salad to sit at room temperature for 15-30 before serving so it can lose its chill.
Did you make this pesto pasta salad? I’d love to know how it turned out! Leave a comment and a rating below, or share with your friends and fam!
Pesto Pasta Salad
Description
Ingredients
- 1 pound rotini pasta, see Note 1
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 cup pesto sauce, divided; see Note 2
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar, white wine vinegar, or lemon juice
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 english cucumber, quartered, seeds removed, and thinly sliced
- 1 c frozen peas, thawed
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, preferably pearls or bocconcini, see Note 3
- ½ c fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Bring five quarts of water to a rolling boil in a large (at least 8 quart) stock pot. Just before the water comes to a boil, add the salt (see Note 4) and stir to combine.
- Add the pasta to the boiling water, then stir constantly for 30 seconds to prevent the noodles from sticking to one another. Boil the pasta for 2 minutes past al dente (check the package instructions for specific times); see Note 5.
- Drain the pasta and immediately transfer to a large mixing bowl; do not run under water first and do not cool first. Add ¾ cup pesto sauce along with the olive oil and vinegar (or lemon juice). Toss until well combined, then transfer to the fridge and chill for at least 1 hour, and up to two days; see Note 6.
- Thirty (30) minutes before serving, remove the pasta from the fridge and set on the counter to come to room temperature.
- Just before serving, add the remaining ¼ cup pesto sauce, tomatoes, cucumber, peas, and mozzarella to the pasta. Toss until very well combined, then taste for seasoning; adjust the salt, pepper, or acid to taste until the flavor sings. Top with fresh basil leaves.
- Serve at room temperature, adding more fresh basil if desired. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Note 1. Use a short pasta, preferably with ridges or curves. This will help the pesto sauce adhere to the pasta.
- Note 2. Use your favorite store-bought pesto sauce, or make your own basil pesto!
- Note 3. (types of mozzarella)
- Note 4. If you’re sensitive to salt, reduce to 2 teaspoons. Salting the pasta water will infuse the pasta with flavor from the inside out.
- Note 5. Pasta salads turn out best using fully cooked, not al dente, pasta noodles.
- Note 6. Allow the pasta and the pesto sauce to chill before adding the mix-ins to allow the pasta to fully absorb the pesto sauce. You’ll season the mix-ins with the remaining pesto sauce once the pasta has cooled.
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