I would like to thank all of those who made this possible, chiefly all the basil leaves it took to make the wonder in a jar that is pesto sauce!
The other day, I was making this pesto pasta salad for Jillian and her family in their kitchen so I could babysit one child while she bathed, diapered, and fed the wee twins. I should have known I was in for an interesting conversation when Harper, their four-year-old, was watching me fold that oily pesto into rotini pasta, summer’s ripest cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and toasted pine nuts. She suddenly asks me, “What’s that green stuff you’re putting in there?” I hesitated for a moment, trying to think of the most appetizing answer for a child. I was taking too long, apparently, because she said, “Well?”
So, I ventured forth with the most appealing description of “green stuff” I could muster. “It’s pesto sauce, and it’s this sauce from Italy that’s made from chopping up millions of basil leaves with pine nuts and melted cheese and olive oil. They mash all that yummy stuff into this sauce that people eat on pasta like they do spaghetti sauce. You can dip bread in it… put it on angel hair pasta, and man, is that good.” When I saw her getting ready to get bored with me, I leaped in with, “AND you can put it on peanut butter sandwiches!”
“Yucky,” Harper squeals.
“Just kidding about the peanut butter… But it’s great on pasta. It’s delicious, in fact… But how about we just taste it?” I placed a little plastic fork in her hand, that I’d made sure to put just a little taste of everything from this salad on, while she gave me that glare that all children have where they lock eye contact with you to see if you are up to something fishy.
And I waited for a very uncertain verdict and was pleasantly surprised by, “Yum. That’s really good. I thought I wouldn’t like it,” she said, then, “When can we eat it for real?” And I knew my job was done. A child had loved the taste of this pesto pasta salad, and Jillian had yet another dish to feed her family that her little girl would actually relish along with the rest of the family.
Why You and Your Family Will Love Pesto Pasta Salad
Made from pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, salt, pepper, and a whole lot of basil leaves, you really cannot go wrong with the flavor pesto sauce brings. You can put it inside a stuffed chicken breast, and it’s scrumptious. You can stir it into an angel hair pasta with some white wine and grated cheese, and it’s sublime… or stir it into this delicious rotini pasta salad, and it becomes a silky basil, garlic, cheesy, nutty flavor-town in a pasta salad that everyone will love.
Pesto gives pasta salads a rich, green, earthy, garlicky, nutty flavor that makes every bite a surprise and a pleasure. I spread it on everything from turkey and Swiss sandwiches to toasted buttered bread, and it is really satisfying and filling as well.
How to Make Ahead and Store
You may refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days in a bowl tightly wrapped with plastic wrap (or in an airtight container), but it’s not a good idea to try and freeze it.
Serving Suggestions
I love pesto pasta salad with just about every single thing. It is especially good for family gatherings, where you want a dish that will hold up well with lots of serving spoons just diving into it, which this will with its whole ingredients like nuts and fresh mozzarella and that stronger rotini pasta. Try it with this recipe for Grilled Tilapia with Mango Salsa. It is a heavenly treat of a deliciously sauced fish recipe that kids and adults will savor. On the side with this delicious pasta salad, I’d serve a good vegetable casserole, like this Classic Ratatouille, which will complement all the flavors here. For dessert, Raspberry White Chocolate Scones are my favorite—especially with some ice cream!
Pesto Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 12 ounces rotini or fusilli pasta
- 3/4 cup basil pesto
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese cubed
- 1/4 cup pine nuts toasted
- Salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 8-10 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked pasta with the basil pesto. Toss until the pasta is evenly coated.
- Add the halved cherry tomatoes and cubed mozzarella cheese to the pasta. Gently mix to distribute throughout the salad.
- Sprinkle the toasted pine nuts over the salad and season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Serve the pesto pasta salad chilled or at room temperature. Enjoy as a main dish or a side to your favorite protein.
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