Easy Pesto Pasta Salad

Pesto pasta salad is a super easy cold salad perfect as a side or as a meal on it’s own. Packed with cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil pesto, this dish is always a hit at parties and barbeques but also makes a great lunch.

 

This has to be hands down one of my favorite cold sides. It’s fast and easy, and both the child and the husband love this recipe!

Why We Love Pesto Pasta Salad

• Great Side Dish Often we make this pasta salad as a side, it’s easy to prep for meal prep at the beginning of the week and is simple to make. We’ll grill chicken and other vegetables, and this pasta salad will be the side.
• Perfect Party Salad – Pesto pasta salad always feels a little different on the table next to the usual potluck, cookout or party offerings. Make this pesto pasta salad for a group, it usually disappears and friends and family rave about the flavor.
• Delicious Warm Or Cold – This pasta salad is also amazing warm . We’ll sometimes have it for dinner warm, and the leftovers get packed away into lunchboxes to enjoy cold.

Ingredients For Pesto Pasta Salad

• pasta I used fuseilli but any short shape works
• basil pesto sauce jarred pesto makes this recipe go really fast. I use a classic basil pesto.
• fresh mozzarella balls can also cube block mozzarella cheese, or cut up string cheese. If your mozzarella balls are larger, they can be sliced
• cherry tomatoes – can also use grape tomatoes, or aroma tomatoes diced are also delicious.
• parmesan cheese optional
• fresh basil optional, I add when I have

How To Make Pesto Pasta Salad

1. Cook pasta in salted boiling water according to the package, this should be about 9-11 minutes depending on the shape of pasta you choose. I save about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water to the side in case I need a little to thin the pesto sauce before draining the pasta, especially when trying a new brand of store-bought pesto for the first time.
2. Drain the pasta well, then place in a large mixing bowl.
3. Slice the cherry tomatoes into halves and add to the pasta. Drain mozzarella well and add to the bowl also. Mix well!

4. Add the pesto to the pasta while the pasta is still warm and mix well so it coats the pasta, mozzarella and tomatoes evenly. If your sauce feels too thick (depending on the brand) you can use a little pasta water from boiling the pasta to change the texture. See the notes for how to adjust at the bottom of the page.

5. Serve warm or cold, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and fresh basil if desired. Enjoy!

Recipe Variations For This Easy Pesto Pasta Salad Recipe

This recipe is so easy to adjust to your own tastes, or just clean out some vegetables in the refrigerator.! Try some of my favorite swaps, and you can also experiment with your own additions.

Vegetable Substitution Or Addition Ideas

black olives – sliced works best, but if they aren’t already sliced I’ll chop them up.

zucchini – diced, this is one of our favorites. Keep the pieces kind of small and you can add it raw straight to the pasta salad. It’s great when you have a lot of zucchini in the summer.

chickpeas – canned, drained well. I usually give them a quick rinse and pat them dry so they don’t make the pasta salad watery.

any grilled vegetables – peppers, onions, zucchini, tomatoes, asparagus, there are all kinds of options

asparagus – either steamed or at least blanched (cooked in hot water for a few minutes), or leftover cooked in some way. Asparagus does need to be cooked so it is tender in this salad.

sundried tomatoes – chopped into pieces. I use sundried tomatoes in oil. If using dried sundried tomatoes it can help to rehydrate them in a little water before chopping and adding them to the pasta salad.

bell pepper – I add diced bell pepper to almost any recipe I want to bulk up the veggies in. Try the red, yellow or orange bell peppers for the best flavor.

green peas – I’ll sometimes defrost frozen green peas in warm water and throw them into this pasta salad.

Cheese Substitution Ideas

Swap mozzarella cheese cut into cubes or mini mozzarella balls. You can also use cubed provolone, gouda or monterary jack cheese… any mild semi-soft cheese can also work in this recipe.

Slice string cheese (which is a type of provolone) into small pieces and add to the pasta. I do this all the time when making a quick small portion of this salad, especially for lunch boxes.

Try asiago or romano cheese grated on top.

Pasta And Other Variations

Sprinkling pine nuts or chopped walnuts over top gives a great crunch. I like to toast the nuts a little in a pan first as it gives them a great texture.

Squeezing a little lemon juice over top will brighten the flavor

What Kind Of Pasta Goes Best with This Pesto Pasta Salad?

Fusilli, cavatappi, and rotini are all great shapes to pick. They have wide ridges and grooves that hold the pesto sauce well. Any larger, chunkier short pasta shape works well.

You can also swap cooked tortellini for regular pasta, it makes a great pasta salad!

What Brand Of Pesto Do You Use?

I usually purchase a store bought pesto as we make this pasta salad year round, especially for lunch boxes. I like basil pesto that says it is “Genovese style.” My favorite is this version from Cucino and Amore which I buy at World Market, TJ Max, or online. Aldi and Sprouts also both have a delicious house-brand basil pesto that my family enjoys.

I’ve also found that if the pesto uses potato starch as a thickener in the ingredients list, we tend to enjoy it more when trying new brands of pesto.

Can You Use Homemade Pesto?

You can also make your own pesto, which can be super easy to do in the summer when basil is fresh and plentiful. This homemade basil pesto recipe is very similar to how I make pesto when making fresh. You can try it with walnuts instead of pine nuts to make it a little less expensive and it’s still delicious.

What Sides Go With Pesto Salad?

Try this pesto pasta salad as a side for any grilled protein like grilled chicken, pork, shrimp, or even as a side to burgers. (Try it with my turkey burger sliders!)

Grilled veggies like mushrooms, zucchini, asparagus and corn all make great sides for this pasta salad. It’s also delicious as a side next to leftover pulled pork sandwiches made from the crockpot.

Will My Picky Child Like This Pasta Salad?

I started my kid with pesto pasta salad when she was small. In the beginning, I gave her just a little bit of pesto on her portion. Over time I added a little more at a time.

Pesto can have a stronger flavor, but it isn’t too much for little tastebuds if you start small.

Different kids are different, but if your child loves pasta this is a great pasta salad to try. It’s a favorite for lunchboxes too!

This is one on my favorite lunchboxes because it holds hot or cold! Check it out here.)

How Long Does This Pasta Salad Last?

Stored in the fridge this pasta salad lasts about 3-4 days. This recipe can be made ahead easily the night before or up to 24 hours in advance.

If you choose to use an alternative pasta (like Banza or lentil pasta) expect that the pasta will start to fall apart a little faster and is usually best when consumed in 24 hours.