Basil Pesto Pasta Salad
This basil pesto pasta salad combines garden-fresh basil, toasted pine nuts, mozzarella, and cherry tomatoes for a light yet satisfying dish. Quick to make and full of flavor, it’s the perfect recipe for warm weather gatherings.
Ingredients
Pesto Sauce:
- 4 garlic cloves, or roasted garlic cloves
- ½ cup pine nuts, toasted
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp chili pepper flakes
- 6 cups basil
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 lemon zest, from a whole lemon
Pasta:
- 1 lb pasta, spriral, penne, bowtie or any pasta shape of your choice
- 1 Tbsp kosher salt
Salad:
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese balls
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 2 cups baby mixed greens
- 2 cups Persian cucumbers, seeds removed, cut into ½ inch thick slices
- pasta
- pesto sauce
Instructions
- To roast the garlic, take garlic cloves and drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat thoroughly. Bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes, turning them halfway. If they are smaller garlic cloves then perhaps you only need to roast them for 2 minutes. Just keep a close eye on them.
- If your pine nuts are not toasted already, then drizzle pine nuts with olive oil and bake in oven at 350 degrees for 1-2 minutes until they turn a nice light golden brown.
- In a food processor, puree all the ingredients together, minus the olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
- Transfer basil mix to a bowl, then add olive oil and balsamic vinegar and mix together.
- Cook the pasta as per the instructions on the package. Add 1 Tbsp of kosher salt to the pot of water.
- Rinse pasta in cold water and drain.
- In a large mixing bowl, toss all the salad ingredients together and serve!
Nutrition
Serving: 1portion | Calories: 480kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 1103mg | Potassium: 391mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1374IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 298mg | Iron: 2mg