This pesto pasta salad is pasta with mozzarella cheese, olives, tomatoes and pine nuts, all tossed with fresh basil pesto. An easy side dish that’s perfect for a potluck or picnic.
Pesto pasta salad is a must have for all of your summer gatherings. It’s fresh, flavorful, and the whole thing can be put together in 20 minutes. Serve your pasta salad alongside main course options such as baked chicken tenders, a summery lobster roll, a chicken club sandwich or a grilled turkey burger.
This pesto pasta salad is literally one of the best pasta salads I’ve ever had. That combination of fresh pesto, tender pasta, creamy mozzarella and juicy tomatoes just can’t be beat! This is definitely one of my go-to recipes for summer entertaining.
Table of Contents
Pesto Pasta Salad Ingredients
To make this recipe, you’ll need corkscrew pasta, pesto, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella balls, olives, pine nuts, red onion and parsley.
How Do You Make Pesto Pasta Salad?
Cook the pasta according to package directions, then drain the noodles and run them under cold water. Place the pasta in a large bowl along with the tomatoes, mozzarella, olives, pine nuts, red onion and fresh parsley. Add the pesto and gently toss everything together. Serve, and add a garnish of pine nuts and parsley if desired.
Tips For The Perfect Dish
- For this pesto pasta salad, any short pasta will work. I used cavatappi pasta, but other great choices are penne, macaroni, farfalle, fusilli or rotini. It’s best to cook your pasta to al dente.
- I’ve learned that pine nuts can get expensive quickly, so it’s best to buy just what you need from the bulk bins at the store instead a whole big bag.
- This salad will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- Rinse your cooked pasta in cold water to keep it from sticking together when you make the salad. This also helps to cool it off before you add the rest of the ingredients.
Quick Tip
Go for the fresh pesto in the refrigerated section, it has much better and bolder flavor than the shelf stabled jarred pesto. Some of the store-bought pesto brands I like are Kirkland (Costco), Rana and Three Bridges.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can eat cold pesto pasta which is essentially what this salad is! I actually prefer to eat cold pesto pasta, only because it gives the pasta more time to absorb all of the pesto, which makes for a more flavorful dish.
Pesto is a mixture of crushed basil, pine nuts, parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil. Sometimes it contains other ingredients such as lemon juice, or walnuts instead of pine nuts. Pesto has a strong, bold flavor that works as a great addition to many recipes. Pesto is typically used in Italian dishes.
Pesto is most commonly served with pasta. That being said, there are so many different ways to use this delicious sauce. It’s great on pizza, or as a sandwich spread. Pesto can even be used as a salad dressing.
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Flavor Variations
This salad is fabulous as-is, but you can add other ingredients to customize the flavor to your tastes.
- Grains: Instead of pasta, try making this dish with brown rice or farro for a different flavor and texture.
- Protein: Add some diced grilled chicken breast, grilled shrimp, or white beans to turn this side dish into a main course option.
- Vegetables: You can add more veggies to the salad for added flavor and nutrition. Some great options include baby spinach leaves, corn, diced grilled eggplant, artichoke hearts, shaved fennel or sliced grilled zucchini.
- Cheese: Instead of mozzarella, try using cubes of feta cheese, crumbled goat cheese, fontina cheese or shaved parmesan.
I love that this pesto pasta salad is full of tons of great flavors and textures. My kids love it too, I just omit the red onion when I’m serving this dish to the little ones. The fact that it can be a side or a full meal is a plus for this mama’s busy schedule and I’m sure it will be for yours as well!
More Pasta Salad Recipes
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Pesto Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 12 ounces corkscrew pasta or any short pasta type
- 1 cup refrigerated basil pesto
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 1/2 cups fresh mozzarella balls halved
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives pitted and halved
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts plus more for garnish
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in salted water according to package directions.
- Drain the pasta and run cold water over the pasta to cool it down.
- Place the pasta in a large bowl along with the cherry tomatoes, mozzarella balls, olives, pine nuts, red onion and parsley.
- Pour the pesto over the top and toss to coat evenly.
- Serve, topped with additional pine nuts and parsley for garnish.
Notes
- Go for the fresh pesto in the refrigerated section, it has much better and bolder flavor than the shelf stabled jarred pesto. Some of the brands I like are Kirkland (Costco), Rana and Three Bridges.
- This salad will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
I’m hooked on this pesto pasta salad. It’s perfect for these days of summer entertaining as it goes with everything! Thanks for sharing!
We have loads of basil, and made this for the weekend! SO GOOD! Thank you!
What marvelous flavors in this fresh pesto pasta salad. It’s perfect as a side dish or meal.
I love the pesto and mozzarella cheese balls in this pasta salad! I used GF pasta, and it was still delicious!
This is one of the best pasta variations I’ve ever seen. I love all the fresh ingredients, and you can never go wrong with pesto.
One of my favorite new recipes! I’ve been doing 2 to 3 new recipes each week for variety and so far everyone I’ve made from your blog is amazing!
Wow did the flavors come together on the recipe making it so delicious!
I worked my way thru making all of your pasta salads and I liked them all! Well done!
Made this for a potluck at work it is delicious!
Everyone loved this salad but made a few updates after 1st prep. Added 1 C cubed zucchini and 1/4 C diced green onions for higher veggie to carb ratio. Used fresh ground salt and pepper on veggies & 3 shakes crushed red pepper for just a hint of spice (family didn’t notice any heat at all). Also served olives on the side for family who don’t do olives. But using fresh ingredients is the key for this recipe.