Pesto pasta salad. Cook the pasta in salted water according to package instructions. Then drain it and rinse in cold water. Cover and refrigerate pasta until cold.

Fabulous Pesto Pasta Salad Fabulous Pesto Pasta Salad. Rotini pasta is tossed with pesto, fresh mozzarella, and tomatoes for a colorful pasta version of Caprese salad. Zesty pesto, mellowed and thickened with a little mayonnaise, makes a lovely sauce. You can cook Pesto pasta salad using 8 ingredients and 6 steps. Here is how you achieve that.

Ingredients of Pesto pasta salad

You need 1/2 lb of pasta.
You need 3/4 cup of prepared pesto.
Prepare 1/4 cup of chopped red onion.
It's 1 cup of chopped/crumbled feta.
Prepare 1/4 cup of crasins.
Prepare 1/2 cup of chopped broccoli.
It's 1/2 cup of almonds toasted.
Prepare 1 of optional-roasted chicken for the must eat meat folks.

I go all-out green by adding sweet peas to both the pesto sauce and the pasta. Toasted pine nuts add flavor and crunch. And, finally, mozzarella pearls and fresh basil jazz the whole dish up. Pasta salads are the ultimate summer move, especially when it's too hot to use the oven.

Pesto pasta salad instructions

Cook pasta. Best options include bowtie but anything works from orzo to elbow.
Chop onion and broccoli add to bowl.
Add feta and crasins.
Add pesto and hot pasta mix well adding a bit more pesto to taste..
Serve warm add toasted almonds to each serving.
If you must roasted chicken can be added for meat eaters..

They're easy yet delicious and come together quickly, plus they don't require much heat. Adding an easy homemade pesto to pasta salad elevates it to much more than a picnic or barbecue side. If you need to use up some extra basil or just want to try a twist on a classic side, this pesto pasta salad. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, or according to package directions. Add a few tablespoons of pasta water to thin the pesto to evenly coat the pasta.