Pesto Pasta Salad
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Published Jun 24, 2024, Updated Jul 28, 2024
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This pesto pasta salad combines pasta, tomatoes and mozzarella and with fresh pesto! It’s packed with flavor, ready in under 30 minutes and makes for the perfect summer side dish.
Pesto is a summer staple around here because my whole family loves it and lately I’ve been having fun using my homemade pesto in a variety of dishes, from this pesto spaghetti squash salad to pesto salmon.
Given my kids love for pasta I decided it was time to make a pesto pasta salad. I knew it would be perfect for bringing to summer cookouts, but also great as a lunch or dinner option for my kiddos.
I will say, this isn’t the lightest pasta salad recipe (if you’re looking for that, check out my heathy pasta salad) but it’s absolutely delish and such crowd-pleaser, especially with the kiddos. That said, you can turn this salad into a macro-friendly meal by adding a big portion of your favorite grilled protein. I recommending adding a grilled chicken breast.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Flavor-packed: The homemade basil pesto adds a rich, robust flavor that pairs perfectly with the fresh ingredients.
- Simple and quick: Easy to prepare with minimal ingredients, this salad can be whipped up in no time.
- Versatile: Perfect as a side dish, main course, or a potluck favorite. It’s great for any occasion. I’ve even packed it in my kid’s lunches before!
- Make-ahead friendly: You can prepare this salad in advance and let it chill, making it an ideal option for meal prep or entertaining.
Ingredients Needed
- pasta noodles – you can’t have pasta salad without the pasta, right? I recommend rotini for this salad, but honestly you can use any type of short pasta, such as penne, farfalle, or fusilli, if you don’t have rotini. And using gluten-free pasta works to make this recipe gluten-free.
- cherry tomatoes – pesto and tomatoes just go together. Plus they add a juicy, sweet burst of flavor to the salad.
- mozzarella pearls – I love using mini mozzarella pearls because I always have them on hand (my kids love snacking on them) and they’re smaller in size which means you get a little bit of that creamy, cheesy texture with each bite. If you can’t find the pearls, feel free to use chopped mozzarella cubes.
- Italian dressing – I like adding a little Italian dressing to my pesto pasta salad. It lightens up the pesto sauce a bit, adds extra flavor and helps the pasta from drying out. You can use my Italian dressing recipe or store-bought. I really like the Bolthouse Farms Italian if you’re looking for something lighter.
- fresh basil – this adds a bit of freshness and color to the salad.
- pesto – obviously this is the star of the show here and I have included a recipe for making homemade pesto, but I also realize that sometimes you don’t have time to break out the food processor and make pesto from scratch. No big deal, just grab fresh pesto from the store. I really like the Gotham Greens classic pesto. You’ll want to get two tubs.
Substitutions
- Tomatoes: If you don’t have tomatoes (or don’t love them), feel free to use other veggies instead. Cucumbers, bell peppers or sliced olives are all great options.
- Mozzarella: I love the creaminess the mozzarella adds, but if you’re not a fan you can use another cheese. I haven’t tested it, but feta would probably be yummy.
- Italian Dressing: You can totally substitute this with a balsamic vinaigrette or a simple lemon vinaigrette.
- Make it dairy free: you could make this recipe dairy-free by using a dairy-free store-bought pesto and leaving out the mozzarella, but I’d actually recommend you try my vegan pesto pasta salad instead. It’s delish.
How to Make Pesto Pasta Salad
Step 1: Make pesto by adding basil, garlic, pine nuts and grated parmesan into a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add oil and process until fully incorporated and smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 2: Combine cooled pasta with 1 cup pesto, Italian dressing, tomatoes, mozzarella and fresh basil. Toss to combine until pasta is fully coated. Crack fresh black pepper on top. Taste and add more salt or pepper, as desired.
Brittany’s Tip
For an extra layer of flavor, toast the pine nuts before adding them to the pesto. Simply heat a small skillet over medium heat, add the pine nuts, and stir frequently until they are golden brown and fragrant. This will enhance their nutty flavor and add depth to your pesto.
How to Store Pesto Pasta Salad
Store any leftover pesto pasta salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If the pasta absorbs too much dressing and becomes dry, simply add a little more dressing or pesto before serving.
Leftover pesto: If you make the homemade pesto you might have some leftover pesto. This ca be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to one week. To keep it fresh and vibrant, drizzle a thin layer of olive oil on top before sealing the container.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can use store-bought pesto if you’re short on time. I recommend looking for on in the refrigerated section rather an buying a shelf stable pesto. It will be fresher and have better flavor!
You know I’m all about having a good source of protein so if I were serving this as a meal, I’d add some grilled chicken breast, grilled shrimp or even chickpeas.
While this salad is typically served cold or at room temperature, you can also serve it warm. Just toss the freshly cooked pasta with the pesto and other ingredients while still warm, and enjoy immediately.
More Side Salads You’ll Love
- Chicken Fajita Pasta Salad
- Greek Pasta Salad
- Mediterranean Orzo Salad
- Easy Caprese Salad
- No Mayo Potato Salad
- Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
Looking for more? Check out all of my favorite pasta salad recipes.
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Pesto Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb rotini pasta
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 8 oz mozzarella pearls
- ⅓ cup Italian dressing, homemade or store-bought (I used Bolthouse Farms)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
- Fresh black pepper, for garnish
Pesto
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves
- 2 small cloves garlic
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- ⅔ cup fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, parmesan works too
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon sea salt, more to taste
- pinch ground black pepper, more to taste
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside to cool.
- While pasta is cooking, make pesto by adding basil, garlic, pine nuts, grated parmesan, lemon juice, salt and pepper into a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add oil and process until fully incorporated and smooth.
- Combine cooled pasta with 1 cup pesto, Italian dressing, tomatoes, mozzarella and fresh basil.
- Toss to combine until pasta is fully coated. Crack fresh black pepper on top. Taste and add more salt or pepper, as desired.
- Serve immediately or chill until ready to serve. Note: you’ll have about ⅓ cup leftover pesto – store this in the fridge as you might want to add more pesto before serving as the pasta soaks up some of the pesto as it sits.
Notes
- Store-bought pesto: If you want to use store-bought pesto, I recommend getting fresh pesto (found in the refrigerated section at the store). You’ll want to make sure you buy at least 1 cup.
- Make-ahead: This salad can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Add the fresh basil and a bit more pesto just before serving to freshen it up.
- Serving: Serve the salad chilled or at room temperature. It makes a great side dish for picnics, barbecues or a light lunch. Or add some grilled protein and serve it for dinner.
- Extra vegetables: Feel free to add other vegetables like bell peppers, cucumbers, or olives for added flavor and texture.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this today for my daughter- visiting from out of town. This recipe is so close to one my kiddos ate in high school for a team meal. Delicious and easy. I used your Italian salad dressing recipe ( from your site). ( we did add fresh mozzarella and kalmata olives – just how she remembered it! Thanks for a great recipe!
WOO! This is amazing, Lisa. I am so glad you both enjoyed this salad and it turned out great for you. Thank you for taking the time to share you review + star rating, it means so much to me!
Great recipe. I’ve always tried the ones with the Italian dressing and it wasn’t enough flavor so the added pesto made it perfect. I also loosely followed the recipe because my noodle box was 12 oz. I roughly halved the pesto and just mixed it all up and it was great. Feel like you can’t go wrong with adding too or taking away with this one
Yay! I am so glad you gave this recipe a try and it turned out great for you, Jennifer. Thanks for sharing your review & star rating, I really appreciate it!