Best Pesto Pasta Salad Recipes

CREAMY PESTO PASTA SALAD WITH CHICKEN, ASPARAGUS AND CHERRY TOMATOES

Steps:

• Mix dressing ingredients in a small bowl; keep chilled until ready to toss with salad. (Store in clean jar with lid.)
• Bring 1 gallon of water and 2 Tbs. of salt to boil in a large soup kettle. Add pasta and, using package times as a guide, boil, stirring frequently and adding asparagus the last 1 minute, until just tender. Drain thoroughly (do not rinse) and dump onto a large, lipped cookie sheet. Set aside to cool while preparing remaining salad ingredients.
• Place all salad ingredients (except buttermilk dressing) in a large bowl or transfer to a gallon-size zippered bag. (Can be covered and refrigerated several hours at this point.) When ready to serve, add dressing; toss to coat and serve.

PESTO PASTA CAPRESE SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; cook the rotini at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes; drain.
• Mix pesto, olive oil, salt, granulated garlic, and black pepper in a bowl; add rotini. Toss to coat. Fold in tomatoes, mozzarella, and fresh basil.

FABULOUS PESTO PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, salt, pepper, onion powder, mustard, garlic, basil, oregano, cilantro, hot pepper sauce, red wine vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, and Parmesan cheese. Add the tomatoes, green onions and olives to the bowl, and stir to coat. Refrigerate.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, and cook for 7 minutes, or until tender. Drain, and rinse with cold water to cool. Add pasta to the bowl of dressing, and mix well. Top with mozzarella cheese and pine nuts. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

ZUCCHINI PESTO PASTA SALAD RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Make the pesto: Add the basil, parsley, chives, pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice, and salt to a high-powered blender or food processor. Blend on high speed, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula as needed, until well combined, 1-2 minutes.
• Make the zucchini pasta salad: Heat the vegetable oil in a large, high-walled skillet over high heat. Working in batches, fry the zucchini rounds in a single layer for 1-1½ minutes per side, until the outside is golden brown but the zucchini is still slightly crisp. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, blotting away any excess oil.
• Transfer the zucchini to a large serving bowl. Add the spinach and red wine vinegar, and toss gently to combine. Add the penne, pesto, lemon zest, capers, and mozzarella, and fold gently until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Garnish with the basil leaves and serve slightly warm, or refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Enjoy!

CREAMY PESTO & CHICKEN PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook the pasta following pack instructions. Meanwhile, mix the red pepper with the cherry tomatoes and chicken. Mix the pesto and crème fraîche. Drain the pasta, then stir it through. Toss through the veg and chicken and eat immediately, or pack into a container for lunch.

PESTO TUNA PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions.
• While pasta cooks, mix tuna, pesto, pepper, mayonnaise, cheese, olives, and lemon juice in a large bowl.
• When pasta is cooked, drain and rinse with cold water.
• Add pasta to tuna mixture and mix well.
• Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.

PASTA SALAD WITH LEMON-PESTO DRESSING

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it.
• Place pesto, lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley, tomatoes, scallions and cheese in a large bowl.
• Cook pasta to al dente then cold shock it and chill it down under cold running water. Drain well. Add to mixing bowl. Combine salad and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

GARDEN PESTO PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Rinse with cold water and drain well., Meanwhile, whisk together pesto, vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Gradually whisk in oil until blended., Combine vegetables and pasta. Drizzle with pesto dressing; toss to coat. Refrigerate, covered, until cold, about 1 hour. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

GARDEN PASTA AND PESTO CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• Cook pasta as directed on package; drain. Rinse with cold water. Place in large bowl.
• Add all remaining ingredients except tomatoes; mix lightly. Sprinkle with the tomatoes; cover.
• Refrigerate several hours or until chilled.

CILANTRO PESTO PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the cilantro pesto: Add the cilantro, pine nuts, Parmesan, lemon juice and garlic to a food processor and pulse until the ingredients are roughly chopped, 4 to 5 times. With the processor running, slowly drizzle in the oil through the lid opening. Process to desired consistency; you can make the sauce completely smooth or leave it fairly chunky.
• For the roasted tomatoes: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and add the tomatoes and shallot. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the tomatoes start to break down and brown slightly, about 15 minutes. Let cool.
• For the salad: In a large bowl, combine the pasta, chicken, tomatoes and pesto and toss. Garnish with shaved Parmesan and a few cilantro leaves and serve.

ITALIAN CHICKEN-PESTO PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water until al dente (do not overcook the pasta; drain in a colander then rinse well under cold water.
• Drain the pasta well in the colander.
• Place the pasta in a large bowl then toss with 2-3 tablespoons oil.
• Add in chopped tomatoes and cooked cubed chicken; toss to coat.
• For the dressing; in a processor puree the prepared pesto with the spinach and lemon juice.
• Add in the mayonnaise and pulse until blended.
• Add the mayo mixture to the pasta mixture; toss to combine.
• Mix in the Parmesan cheese then season with salt and pepper.

ROASTED VEGGIE PESTO PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Spread roma tomatoes, zucchini, green bell pepper, and onion onto a large baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Toss vegetables to coat evenly with oil; season with salt and black pepper.
• Bake in the preheated oven until vegetables are tender and starting to brown, about 30 minutes. Let vegetables cool.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; cook the rotini at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes; drain and set aside to cool.
• Peel and discard skins from roma tomatoes. Combine the roasted vegetables, rotini, and pesto in a large bowl. Serve slightly warm or chill if desired.

PENNE PESTO PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water, just until al dente, about 7 to 9 minutes. Drain.
• Combine pasta and pesto in large bowl. Stir in mozzarella, tomatoes, Parmesan and olives. Chill until ready to serve. Serve garnished with basil sprigs, if desired.

BARILLA® GLUTEN FREE ELBOWS PASTA SALAD WITH BASIL PESTO, EGGPLANT & PARMIGIANO CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (215 C).
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil, season with salt.
• Cook pasta 1 minute less than package directions.
• Drain pasta and toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large mixing bowl.
• Place pasta on a sheet tray to cool down.
• Season eggplant with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, add salt and pepper to taste.
• Roast eggplant in the oven for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown, then remove from the oven and cool down.
• Combine basil, pine nuts, salt and pepper in a blender, pulse for 5 seconds.
• Drizzle in remaining 6 tablespoons olive oil then add ice cubes and puree.
• Remove pesto from the blender and transfer to a large bowl.
• Add lemon juice, pasta, and eggplant to pesto, toss to combine.
• Top with shredded Parmigiano cheese before serving.

CHICKEN PESTO PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl whisk together pesto, vinegar and 1/4 T salt and pinch of pepper. Gradually whisk in oil until smooth.
• Cook the orzo add 2T salt in cooking.
• Drain and rinse under cold water and drain again.
• Add orzo to vinigarete and toss.
• Add chicken, and tomatoes and toss.
• Tastes best chilled- though it's fine warm.

PESTO PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook the pasta for 10 mins in salted boiling water until al dente, drain, then tip into a bowl. Stir in the crème fraîche followed by the pesto, then leave to cool.
• When the pasta is cool, stir in the cucumber, tomatoes and peas followed by the basil leaves. Season if it needs it, and tip into a container to transport it.

PASTA SALAD WITH PESTO & PRAWNS

Steps:

• Plunge the pasta into a large pan of salted boiling water and cook according to packet instructions until al dente. Drain the pasta into a colander and hold it under cold running water to cool it down quickly.
• Shake off the excess water and tip the pasta into a large bowl. Toss in 1 tbsp olive oil to coat thoroughly (this helps stop the pasta from sticking together), then add the prawns.
• Mix the pesto, mayonnaise and lemon or lime juice with some salt and pepper to taste. If you need to slacken the mixture a bit, stir in a little more olive oil. Pour the pesto dressing over the pasta and prawns and give everything a good stir. Add the parsley and basil leaves and stir again, then pile into your serving dish and serve scattered with extra shredded basil leaves, plus lemon wedges for squeezing over the salad.

ITALIAN PESTO PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook fusilli in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain pasta, rinse in cold water, and return to the pot. Stir in 1 tablespoon olive oil to prevent sticking. Set aside.
• Combine basil, parsley, and garlic in a food processor; pulse until combined. Add toasted pine nuts and lemon juice and pulse until well combined. Add Parmesan cheese and 1/4 cup olive oil while processor is running; blend well. Season pesto with salt and pepper.
• Place pasta into a large mixing bowl and stir in pesto. Add 1/4 cup reserved pasta water to thin slightly and continue to mix until pasta is thoroughly coated; add more pasta water as needed. Mix tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, celery, and onion into the salad until well combined.
• Refrigerate for 1 hour to allow flavors to blend together, or eat right away.

GNOCCHI PESTO PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and generously season with salt. Add the gnocchi and cook for 1 minute less than the package directions, or just until the gnocchi begins to rise to the top. Use a slotted spoon to remove the gnocchi to a colander.
• Put the pot back on the heat and return the water to a boil. Add the green beans and peas and cook until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and let cool.
• Combine the pesto and mayo in a large bowl. Stir in the Parmesan and the cooled beans and peas. Season with salt and pepper. Gently fold in the gnocchi. Garnish with more Parmesan, if desired.

MAYA'S PERFECT PESTO PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook fusilli in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Drain.
• Combine basil, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts, oil, and garlic in a food processor; blend to make pesto.
• Toss pasta with pesto and mix in red onion, radicchio, and mayonnaise. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.