Pasta Salad Recipe Pesto Sun Dried Tomatoes
This Pesto Pasta Salad truly is the ultimate Summer Pasta Salad. Packed with Homemade Pesto, Mozzarella, Sun Dried Tomatoes and Pine Nuts, it’s a total explosion of flavours!
Whilst all the ingredients in this pasta salad get their chance to shine, the pesto really is the star of the show. Pesto is brilliant in the sense it goes with literally everything. Yes, even that. But honestly, there’s few things that go better than pesto and pasta.
I’ve written a more in depth post on Homemade Basil Pesto which is packed with tips and tricks to making the BEST pesto, so check that out if you fancy. But for now, here’s what you’ll need:
Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
Can I use store bought pesto for this recipe 🤔 – You sure can! I highly recommend using fresh pesto from the fridge section though – much more delicious!
As simply wonderful just pesto and pasta is, we’ve gotta chuck some other goodies in there too. I like to go down the antipasti kind of route with the fillings, but if you want to experiment with different ones go for it! Here’s what I like in my pesto pasta salad:
If you’re looking to pack the salad out a little more, then I’ve personally added these before and they go perfectly: Roasted Red Peppers, Charred Sweetcorn, Rocket/Arugula. To take things to the next level flavour-wise consider adding the following: squeeze of Lemon Juice, extra Basil Leaves, 1 tbsp Sun Dried Tomato Oil. Just don’t go overboard with the extra fillings otherwise there won’t be enough pesto to properly coat everything.
Pesto Pasta Recipe
If you’re eating it warm, you can really use any type you fancy, but for a pasta salad I generally stick to short cut pasta. Something like Penne or Fusilli works great. This time round I’ve gone a bit ‘fancy’ and used Fusillata Casareccia (you’ll still find it in most supermarkets).
Absolutely! It will dry out a little, so I recommend stirring through a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil or sun dried tomato oil before serving.
You can totally eat it cold if you fancy, but overall I would recommend it at room temp. It relaxes the pesto a little bit and brings it back to being a bit more ‘saucy’ and less stodgy. Not a deal breaker though.
Sun Dried Tomato Basil Pesto Pasta Salad
Pesto pasta salad is perfect for BBQs or potluck, or even just as a lunch for you and a few! I even make it for dinner sometimes.
This Pesto Pasta Salad truly is the ultimate Summer Pasta Salad. Packed with Homemade Pesto, Mozzarella, Sun Dried Tomatoes and Pine Nuts, it's a total explosion of flavours.
A) Olive Oil - Make sure it's Extra Virgin Olive Oil, not just regular olive oil. Extra virgin has a much more intense flavour and is the classic addition in a pesto.
Rotini Pasta With Pesto And Sun Dried Tomatoes Recipe Recipe
B) Toasted Pine Nuts - This is down to preference, but I do recommend using toasted pine nuts as they add more flavour. To toast the pine nuts pop them in a dry pan over very low heat and shake occasionally until they turn golden. Careful as they turn from perfectly toasted to char in seconds!
D) Red Onion - You'll want this very thinly sliced so it disperses through the salad. If you really don't like raw onion you can leave it out.
E) Storage - Cover and store in the fridge until needed. I recommend bringing it to room temp before serving. Do not heat in the microwave or the oil will separate and the mozzarella will melt. Pesto is always best served at room temp.
Pesto Pasta Salad Recipe
F) Extras and Optionals - If you're looking to fill out the pasta salad a little more then consider adding the following: Charred sweetcorn, roasted red peppers, arugula/rocket and artichokes all work well. Just don't go overboard or there won't be enough pesto to coat everything.
Nutrition is based on the absence of salt unless stated as a measurement in the ingredients. Cost is worked out based on ingredients bought from UK supermarkets, then divided by the number of servings. In both instances these values are just for guidance. Please check out my FAQ Page for more info.Perfect for lunch or dinner this quick and easy dish is packed with flavor and uses simple ingredients to create the perfect meal. Made with a dairy free cashew pesto sauce, this recipe is vegan, gluten free, dairy free and ready in under 20 minutes.
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Best Pasta Salad With Sundried Tomatoes And Pine Nuts Recipes
Start by making putting a large pot over high heat to boil the pasta. When the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook according to the instructions on the box.
While the pasta is cooking, make the pesto. Add the basil, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic powder to the food processor. Process on high for 30 seconds or so until broken down. Then add the cashews and blend again until almost smooth (30-60 seconds). Add the arugula/spinach mixture and blend again until smooth (you may have to scrape down the sides once or twice).
When the pasta is done cooking, drain the pasta and run cold water over it until it’s cool. This helps to stop the cooking process.
Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad With Spinach And Feta Cheese
Add all the ingredients (pasta, pesto, tomatoes, sundried tomatoes and spinach/arugula mixture to a very large bowl and mix with tongs until fully combined.
Budget friendly swap:, use raw cashews To get the same creamy texture that you normally get from adding parmesan and pine nuts (which can be pricey), I like to use raw cashews (or walnuts) in my dairy free pesto recipes. They add great texture and a creamy consistency that really takes the pesto to the next level.
Add more veggies: I also like to incorporate more greens into all of my pesto recipes. Typically I add arugula or spinach but this time I grabbed a mix of the two greens. You can also use kale, however I find that kale doesn’t fall into the background as easily as these greens.
Pesto Pasta Salad With Peas, Pine Nuts & Mozzarella Pearls
Make ahead tips: Pesto tends to start to oxidize and brown after 3-4 days of making. To ensure that you have the best color on your pasta salad, the pesto can be made up to 24 hours in advance. You can also cut the grape/cherry tomatoes in half up to 24 hours in advance as well.
If you make pasta in advance: You can cook the pasta ahead of time too, however, it’s important that you cover the pasta with a light drizzle of oil so it doesn’t start to clump and stick together. For best results, prep everything else ahead of time and combine the pasta and pesto immediately after the pasta cools.
I love to use the rest of the spinach/arugula leftover from making the pesto, but if you don’t like leafy greens in your pasta salad, you can omit them. Other great additions to your pesto pasta salad are:
Love, Laurie: Pesto Pasta Salad With Sun Dried Tomatoes, Roasted Asparagus, And Fresh Mozzarella
You can serve this pesto pasta salad with sundried tomatoes as a side dish or add your favorite protein for a light summery main dish!
Pasta salad is often made with penne pasta, bowtie pasta, fusilli or even elbow pasta! Since this pasta salad is made with pesto, I like to choose tubed pasta like penne or elbow macaroni to really grab the sauce.
I love to use a chickpea or lentil based pasta because they are higher in protein and fiber than traditional pasta which can help to make this pasta salad more filling. Some of my favorites are the red lentil pasta from Trader joes, chickpea pasta from Banza, or lentil pasta from Tolerant pasta!
Spinach Pesto Pasta With Sun Dried Tomatoes
If you want to use a gluten free pasta, my favorites are Brown Rice Pasta from Trader Joe’s or Jovial brand gluten free pasta (comes in lots of fun shapes).
To make this pasta salad in under 20 minutes, it’s important that you are able to quickly cool down the pasta. The best way to do this is to drain the water from cooking, keep the pasta in the colander and run cold water over the pasta until it’s cooled off (this typically takes a minute or so).
This pasta salad is also great using spaghetti squash or zucchini pasta. You can make zucchini into elbow macaroni shapes by slicing the zucchini down the center half way and then spiralizing the zucchini. This will make little C-shaped pasta.
Pesto Pasta Salad With Asparagus And Sun Dried Tomato
If you cannot find sun dried tomatoes in olive oil (Trader Joe’s, Costco and most grocery stores have this in the Italian food aisles, typically by the pasta sauce or jarred pesto). However if all you have on hand is dried sundried tomatoes, you can rehydrate them in hot water for about 30 minutes before adding them to the pasta salad. Discard the soaking water before adding the rehydrated sundried tomatoes to the pesto pasta salad.
Yes! If you prefer not to make your own pesto, you can use store bought pesto. Some of my favorite vegan and dairy free pesto brands include: Cashew Arugula Pesto from Trader Joes, Gotham Greens Vegan Pesto (Whole Foods), Seggiano Pesto (Whole Foods
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