Pesto Pasta Salad
This Pesto Pasta Salad is a perfect summer side dish. It is made with fresh seasonal veggies and Trader Joe’s Vegan Kale, Cashew & Basil Pesto. It is perfect to make ahead of time to have after a hot day in the sun or for your next BBQ.
Ingredients needed to make pesto pasta salad
- Pesto: Pesto of course! Any type of pesto works. I love Trader Joe’s Vegan Kale, Cashew & Basil Pesto.
- Pasta: Use your favorite pasta. I used fusilli but anything works!
- Summer Veggies: Summer squash and zucchini scream summer and go so well with the pesto!
- Red onion: Sauteing the red onion adds so much flavor to the pasta.
- Sun-dried tomatoes: I love the combo of sun-dried tomatoes and pesto together!
- Cherry tomatoes: I just got tomatoes on the vine for the first time and they are so sweet and delicious.
- Mozzarella balls: Cut them in half and put them in the pasta!
- Olive oil: To make sure the pasta doesn’t stick together and to saute the veggies in.
- Italian seasoning: Sprinkle some on while you cook the veggies.
- Fresh mint and basil: Fresh herbs make this so summery!
- Salt and pepper to taste
How to make this pasta
Begin by making the pasta according to the package. After it is finished cooking, place in a large mixing bowl and mix in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Then set the pasta aside. Next, dice the red onion and cut the zucchini and summer squash into bite-size pieces. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, cut veggies, and Italian seasoning. Saute the veggies for 10 minutes or until softened. Add cooked veggies, halved cherry tomatoes and mozzarella balls, and sun-dried tomatoes to your pasta bowl. Pour pesto on top and mix until everything is coated. Top chopped basil and mint.
If you like this recipe, you may also want to check these out:
Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
Chickpea Carbonara Pasta
Jalapeno Turkey Meatballs with Spaghetti Squash
Pesto Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 12 oz dried pasta I used fusilli
- 1 summer squash
- 1 zucchini
- ½ red onion
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 cup mozzarella balls cut in half
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 cup pesto I used Trader Joe's Kale, Cashew, & Basil Pesto
- 1 tbsp fresh mint chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh basil chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Begin by making the pasta according to the package. After it is finished cooking, place in a large mixing bowl and mix in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Then set the pasta aside.
- Dice the red onion and cut the zucchini and summer squash into bite-size pieces. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, cut veggies, and Italian seasoning. Saute the veggies for 10 minutes or until softened.
- Add cooked veggies, halved cherry tomatoes and mozzarella balls, and sun-dried tomatoes to your pasta bowl.
- Pour pesto on top and mix until everything is coated. Top chopped basil and mint.
- Enjoy!