This Mediterranean Pesto Pasta Salad with sundried tomatoes and a light herb dressing makes the perfect meal or a side dish to any mains. Packed with flavor and easy to make get this summer salad packed for picnics, lunches and your weekend braai (barbecue).
Pesto Pasta Salad one of the easiest Italian summer salads that you can make but if not made properly, it can be just another boring bland salad. To prevent that from happening, I am sharing tips and tweaks and the versatility of this pesto pasta salad so stay tuned throughout the post.
How To Add Flavor To Pasta Salad
- Use a homemade pesto and if you decide to use a store bought pesto, look for a good fresh pesto.
- Add this herb dressing that takes 2 minutes in a food processor. Find the ingredients in the full recipe card below).
- Add your dressing while the pasta is warm so it absorbs the flavors.
- Add salt to the pasta water. Salted pasta water equals flavored pasta.
If you're wondering why it's necessary to add a herb dressing to a pesto pasta salad, the answer is simple. It's not necessary but here are a few reasons that you might want to add a herb dressing;
- You don't have enough basil pesto
- Pasta quickly absorbs liquid so adding this herb dressing helps keep the pasta salad well rounded with a light dressing
- Adds even more flavor
- It can also balance the flavors of the pesto and sun dried tomatoes out
What kind of pasta can I use for pasta salad?
Although fusilli and spaghetti are more popular there are many more pasta types to use. For example; fusillotti, rotella, penne, farfalle, orecchiette are to name but a few. A short pasta and a pasta shape with curves works really well for scooping up the pesto or sauce.
Pesto Pasta Salad Ingredients
Basil pesto: We are using a homemade Basil Pesto Recipe. There is no use in making a basil pesto salad if you are going to skimp on the pesto. This salad needs the pesto.
Herb dressing: Full recipe in the recipe card below.
Pasta: Any pasta.
Pasta water: When reserving pasta water, remove the water towards the end of cooking. Pasta needs a lot of water to cook properly and the water has more starch after the pasta has cooked.
Olives: Kalamata
Sundried Tomatoes: Store-bought.
Fresh Mozzarella balls: Bocconcini (smaller than the marble size mozzarella balls) also works.
Cheese: Feta and Parmesan to finish. You can also use Pecorino Romano cheese even though it's salter than Parmesan so take that into consideration.
Hot sauce: This is completely optional and 100% flavor based.
How To Make This Pesto Pasta Salad
This pesto pasta salad is a fabulous way of anticipating warm weather, picnics and poolside brunches. It's big on flavor and easy to pack.
Cook the pasta: Cook in salted water, drain and reserve a cup of pasta water. Remember that the pasta will absorb the pesto especially if you are not using the herb sauce!
Herb sauce: Get the herb sauce ingredients into a food processor and mix everything together while pouring the olive oil in.
Combine: Pour the herb sauce into the bottom of a large bowl followed by the pasta.
Topping: It's not really a topping but the rest of the ingredients like the chili sauce, olives, sun-dried, tomatoes and cheese. Fold rather than mix.
Pesto: Add the pesto and regulate adding the pasta water gradually while folding the ingredients in.
Taste and season throughout.
Serving Suggestions
Chicken, small bites of beef and cured meats are all suitable, let's take a look at a few more options;
You can also try seafood with this pesto pasta salad like this Pan Seared Salmon or this Pan-Fried Yellowtail Recipe.
Rotisserie (never to be underestimated) or you can try this Oven Baked Chicken Drumsticks or Grilled Chicken Breast
Steak Nibbles or perfect steak like this Pan Seared Steak
For a brunch or picnic then packing it along other salads for variety;
More Salad Ideas
Serve it next to this Italian Antipasti for the colorful selection of meat, roasted peppers and tomatoes etc.
More Pasta or Salad Recipes
- Tomato Basil Pesto Tart, Exceptional!
- Pesto and Melanzane Rotolo
- Fish Bake Recipe in Basil Pesto, Parmesan and Tomato
- Basil Pesto Recipe
- Tomato and Basil Pesto Toast
- Pesto Pasta Recipe
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Recipe
Pesto Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 200 grams dry pasta fusilli, fusillotti, penne, ziti or any type
- salt to cook the pasta
- ½ cup pasta cooking water
- 1 cup basil pesto 1 to ½cups of basil pesto
- ¼ teaspoon hot sauce any
- ½ cup Kalamata olives
- ⅓ cup feta cheese
- fresh mozzarella balls
- ½ cup Pecorino Romano cheese or Parmesan
Herb Dressing
- 1 cup fresh parsley
- ½ cup fresh basil roughly chopped
- ½ teaspoon vegetable spice
- ½ teaspoon garlic and herb seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper freshly cracked
- 4 garlic cloves 2 to 4 cloves, to your taste
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup sundried tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil for the pasta. Cook the pasta until just passed the al dente stage which should be an extra minute or two after the required packet instructions. Reserve about a ½ to 1 cup of the pasta water.
- Make the herb dressing: Add all the herb sauce ingredients; parsley, basil, veg spice, garlic & herb spice, garlic cloves, sundried tomatoes, salt to taste and black pepper to a food processor and start processing while pouring the olive oil in through the nozzle. Stop and scrape the sides, process one more time and done. It will be textured not smooth.
- Assemble the pasta salad: Pour the herb dressing into a large bowl and add the hot sauce, followed by the cooked and drained pasta. Use a spatula to fold them together. Add the basil pesto and a splash of pasta water. Toss until the ingredients are all coated. Then add the olives, fresh mozzarella balls (or bocconcini), and feta cheese, toss again.
- Serve: Taste the pasta salad and adjust seasoning and the pasta water to keep it light and create a bit of juices. Olive oil for flavor and a squeeze of fresh lemon to awaken it but that's optional. Serve cold as a side dish or mains with shaved parmesan or pecorino cheese. Remember that as it sits, the flavors get better.
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