Pesto pasta salad is fresh, delicious, and packs tons of flavors. Spiral pasta is dressed in fresh zesty basil pesto, a dab of mayonnaise, cherry tomatoes, bocconcini, pine nuts, small basil leaves, and lemon juice. It’s great for quick lunch or light dinner or pack it for summer picnic and potlucks.
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When it’s the season when gardens are thriving with luscious green herbs, you know it’s time to make fresh basil pesto. Use fresh basil from your garden or pick a bunch from the farmer’s market.
Come summer I have basil pesto in my fridge almost all the time. Basil pesto is, without a doubt, my favorite pesto that I make way too often. This year I even experimented with other herbs and vegetables to make pesto. Parsley pesto did not disappoint, if you happen to have loads of parsley, put it to good use by making an easy pesto out of it.
Any short pasta shape works for this recipe. Pasta shape that has good surface area or groves is best as it can hold a lot of sauce, so the flavors are not compromised.
Things I love about simple pesto pasta salad recipe
- It’s very easy to make. Cook pasta, and toss it with freshly made pesto and other ingredients.
- Best use of loads of fresh herbs.
- Great for quick lunch or light dinner.
- A great side dish during grilling seasons. You can also pack it for picnics and potlucks.
- Great for making ahead. Make all components and store them separately in the refrigerator a day ahead of time. When ready to serve, simply toss and serve!
Rules to make pesto pasta salad
- Must have cold-cooked pasta.
- Dab of mayonnaise, because there’s no excuse for dry pasta salad.
- Use fresh homemade basil pesto.
- Fill the salad with crunchy nuts, juicy cherry tomatoes, and soft bites of bocconcini.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need-
- Pasta
- Pesto
- Mayonnaise
- Cherry tomatoes
- Bocconcini
- Parmesan
- Lemon juice
- Pepper
- Salt
- Pine nuts
- Basil leaves
All ingredients exact measurements are mentioned below in recipe card.
- Pasta – Any short pasta shape works for this recipe. Pasta shape that has good surface area or groves is best as it can hold a lot of sauce. Pasta like rotini, fusilli, Cellentani or cavatappi works best.
- Pesto – fresh homemade basil pesto is recommended. If you want to experiment with other pesto you can use parsley pesto, peas pesto, or even spinach pesto.
- Mayonnaise – use full-fat quality mayonnaise. Use just a dab of mayonnaise to keep the pasta salad from drying. Mayonnaise adds light creaminess and keeps the salad juicy even after a day of storing in the refrigerator.
- Add-ins – fill the salad with crunchy nuts, juicy cherry tomatoes, and soft bites of bocconcini.
- Lemon juice (optional) – I like extra zesty flavor in my pasta salad.
- Parmesan cheese – this must be “Parmigiano-Reggiano,” not regular Parmesan for best results. Buy a block of cheese and grate it yourself.
- Small basil leaves – add loads of it for freshness and taste.
- Season – with a dash of salt and pepper if needed.
How to make it
Start by boiling a large pot of water. Once the water starts boiling add salt.
Cook pasta in boiling water as per packet instructions (cook a bit beyond al-dente).
Drain and rinse pasta in cold water. Pesto pasta salad needs cold cooked pasta.
Drain well and cool.
Add cooked pasta to a large bowl. Toss it with fresh homemade pesto and a dab of mayonnaise until the pasta is coated well.
To the salad add cherry tomatoes cut into halves, baby bocconcini, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, toasted pine nuts, a dash of lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste (if needed), and small basil leaves. Toss it all together.
Transfer to a serving bowl. Serve!
Storing leftover pesto pasta salad
Pasta salad stays vibrant green for a few hours soon as it’s made. Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for 2 to 4 days in the refrigerator. But it will tend to darken and oxidize longer it’s stored. So it’s best to use the salad in a couple of hours after making it.
Useful tips
- Pasta shape that has good surface area or groves is best as it can hold a lot of sauce. Pasta like rotini, fusilli, Cellentani or cavatappi works best.
- Cook pasta beyond al-dente. You will rinse pasta in cold water, this stops the cooking process, so you’ll have to cook pasta beyond al-dente.
- Homemade pesto works best for this salad. If you need to use store-bought pesto, get the ones from the fridge section than the ones from the aisle. Pesto from the fridge section is made fresh and better than ones that can be stored for a long time which are found in the aisle.
- Mayonnaise helps keep pesto pasta salad juicy even when it’s stored for a day. It prevents the pasta from turning dry.
- Pine nuts add a crunch element to a pesto pasta dish. Use chopped walnuts if you don’t have pine nuts.
- To toast pine nuts, use a small dry pan. Dry roast on medium-low heat with constant stirring until nuts begin to turn golden brown. Immediately transfer to a plate to cool.
Common questions
Any short pasta shape works for this recipe. Pasta shape that has good surface area or groves is best as it can hold a lot of sauce. Pasta like rotini, fusilli, Cellentani or cavatappi works best.
No, you can use any type of pesto. If you want to experiment with other pesto you can use parsley pesto, peas pesto, or even spinach pesto.
Homemade pesto works best for this salad. If you need to use store-bought pesto, get the ones from the fridge section than the ones from the aisle. Pesto from the fridge section is better.
Yes, it’s a great make-ahead salad. Make all components and store them separately in the refrigerator a day ahead of time. When ready to serve, simply toss and serve!
Tossed salad can be stored in the fridge overnight and served the next day.
Storing pasta salad in the refrigerator to absorb flavor has a downside, they tend to turn dry in the fridge. Adding a dab of mayonnaise prevents it from drying in the fridge.
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📋Pesto Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 12 oz pasta
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 to ½ cups fresh basil pesto or parsley pesto
- 2 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 7 oz baby bocconcini
- ⅓ cup Parmesan
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts toasted
- ½ cup small basil leaves
Instructions
- Start by boiling a large pot of water. Once the water starts boiling add salt.
- Cook pasta in boiling water as per packet instructions (cook a bit beyond al-dente).
- Drain and rinse pasta in cold water. Pesto pasta salad needs cold cooked pasta.
- Drain well and cool.
- Add cooked pasta to a large bowl. Toss it with fresh homemade pesto and a dab of mayonnaise until the pasta is coated well.
- To the salad add cherry tomatoes cut into halves, baby bocconcini, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, toasted pine nuts, a dash of lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste (if needed), and small basil leaves. Toss it all together.
- Transfer to a serving bowl. Serve!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe Notes
- Pasta shape that has good surface area or groves is best as it can hold a lot of sauce. Pasta like rotini, fusilli, Cellentani or cavatappi works best.
- Cook pasta beyond al-dente. You will rinse pasta in cold water, this stops the cooking process, so you’ll have to cook pasta beyond al-dente.
- Homemade pesto works best for this salad. If you need to use store-bought pesto, get the ones from the fridge section than the ones from the aisle. Pesto from the fridge section is made fresh and better than ones that can be stored for a long time which are found in the aisle.
- Mayonnaise helps keep pesto pasta salad juicy even when it’s stored for a day. It prevents the pasta from turning dry.
- Pine nuts add a crunch element to a pesto pasta dish. Use chopped walnuts if you don’t have pine nuts.
- To toast pine nuts, use a small dry pan. Dry roast on medium-low heat with constant stirring until nuts begin to turn golden brown. Immediately transfer to a plate to cool.
Created by Jyothi Rajesh
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I’m Jyothi Rajesh (Jo for short) and i’m the founder of the food blog, Curry Trail where I share my culinary Adventures. I live in Bangalore, India. I’m a mom of two beautiful kids. My passion is creating and sharing delicious and easy recipes for the home cook. I have been blogging since 2007 and many of my recipes have appeared in both online and print publications over the years. Learn more about Jyothi Rajesh.
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