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 just love this recipe! Flavors were so good! I like all the goodies in the pasta too!
But how do you toast the pine nuts?
Cook in a dry pan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until lightly browned.
I would make this a main course! I love all pesto pastas!
SAME HERE!!
We will b putting together a dinner for the teachers in my sons school and I believe this would make a wonderful addition and something no, one else would make.
This looks so tasty! My husband would love this, I’ll have to surprise him with it one day, thanks for sharing the recipe.
Wow this looks so good. I am loving the colours. Haven’t had a salad like this before would love to try it out for the fam!
This salad has everything I love most: mozzarella, tomatoes, pasta, pesto. I totally need to recreate your recipe at my party this weekend. I bet everyone will love it.
The Pesto Pasta Salad looks really so refreshing. A perfect recipe for the summer months.. A great blend of taste and health too.
I love pesto pasta but for some reason my family aren’t so crazy about it. This looks absolutely delicious!
I have been seeing so much pesto everywhere lately that I am craving it… immediately! I would love to try your Pesto Pasta Salad out so I’ll definitely have to give it a try.
Oh my gosh, I love pesto and I love salad so this seems like a win win. I want to try this! It looks and sounds delish!
I love a good pasta salad and this one both sounds and looks amazing! Great post!
With it being so hot I need a fun, easy meal that the kids will eat. Thank you!
I love pesto, it’s one of my favorite sauces and I love the fact that it goes so well with pretty much any recipe! This pasta salad’s perfect for parties during the summer. I think people will really enjoy it. I love the flavors as well. I’m keeping the recipe!
I bet this tastes amazing. I could totally make a great GF/DF version of this and my family would enjoy.
I need this in my life! This is the perfect pasta salad! I need to make this the next time we grill out.
Yum. I would love to serve this to my family and take it to a party. It’s colorful and I know it is flavorful!
This sounds so good. I am super excited to make this for the cookout I am hosting this weekend. I think everyone will love it.
What a great mix of flavors. I have never thought about putting pesto in a pasta salad but boy does that is got to taste delicious! I am totally going to try this.
I absolutely love pesto pasta salad and can’t wait to try your version. It looks so colorful and tasty. Pine nuts always add texture and a nice crunch. It looks so delicious.