This vivid pesto pasta salad is topped with fresh veggies and crumbled cheese and covered in a brilliant basil pesto!

I recently had a surplus of basil that needed a nice home, so I prepared a few batches of basil pesto (thats easily made in a food processor, btw).

The basil pesto then needed a proper home, and it ended up on this delicious pesto pasta salad!

Ingredients for pesto pasta salad

• Pasta: Farfalle is my favorite, but any short, robust pasta with nooks and crannies would do.
• Pesto: Homemade basil pesto is really simple and tasty. I’m never going back to store purchased!
• Lemon juice: Provides a light, vibrant taste.
• Chickpeas: I like to add gently seasoned chickpeas to my pasta salad for a little more heft. I like turning salads into meals.
• Because I adore corn. Roasted corn is also delicious.
• Bell peppers: Use whichever peppers you choose, green, red, yellow, or orange.
• Cucumbers: Provides a gentle crunch! A summer squash might also be lightly sliced or diced.
• Cotija is my preferred crumbled cheese, but you could also use queso fresco, feta, or even fresh mozzarella pearls.
• Spinach: My husband thinks this is a weird addition, but I prefer to add spinach or kale to my pasta salads.
• Pesto is traditionally prepared with pine nuts, so it’s great to add a little crunch that will fit right in!
• Salt & pepper: Because everything could use a bit more seasoning.
• Grated parmesan cheese: A wonderful finishing touch for serving.

Tips for making pesto pasta salad

• 2 Tablespoon kosher salt. Be sure to salt the water in which you’re cooking the pasta. 1 pound of pasta (as used in this recipe) plus at least 1
• Cook the pasta until it is just beyond al dente. You don’t want it to be mushy from overcooking, nor do you want it to be rough from not cooking it long enough.
• After cooking, be sure to rinse the pasta in cold water. If you rinse it with cold water, it will stop cooking further, so taste it before you remove it from the fire.
• In terms of the cold water rinse, the spaghetti does not need to be chilled before dressing. In fact, you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you did! You want to put together the salad with all of the ingredients as soon as possible so that it can absorb all of the flavors.
• Add EVOO to taste. To prevent the noodles from sticking together after the cold water rinse, toss the pasta in a small drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

How to make pesto pasta salad

1. If you want to make your own basil pesto, try my homemade basil pesto recipe first (youll need to double the recipe).
2. Boil pasta until al dente according to package guidelines in a large saucepan of salted water.
3. 2 cup pasta water (in case your pesto sauce has to be thinned up), wash pasta in a strainer, and rinse with cold water. To keep the noodles from sticking together, toss the cooled spaghetti with a sprinkle of extra virgin olive oil. 1st Reserve
4. Toss or gently swirl cooked spaghetti, pesto, and lemon juice in a large mixing basin (at least 4.5 liters) to coat and incorporate.
5. Toss in the chickpeas, corn, peppers, cucumber, crumbled cheese, spinach, and pine nuts. Salt and pepper to taste, mix again to blend.
6. Enjoy topped with grated Parmesan cheese!

Substitutions and variations

• Substitute fusilli, penne, cavatappi, or elbow macaroni for the farfalle pasta.
• Replace chickpeas with marinated artichoke hearts.
• Cotija is my preferred crumbled cheese, but you could also use queso fresco, feta, or fresh mozzarella pearls.
• Substitute thinly sliced summer squash for the cucumber (a mandolin is your best friend for that)
• Replace the pine nuts with sliced almonds, pistachios, pepitas, or chopped walnuts.
• Kalamata olives should be added.
• Add cherry or grape tomatoes if desired.
• Seasoned grilled chicken on top
• Garnish with fresh basil leaves.

What to serve with pesto pasta salad

If you do not want to offer this pasta salad as the main course, here are some alternatives:

• Salad with Watermelon, Blackberries, and Mint
• Eggs deviled
• Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits Duplicate
• Dinner Rolls with Rosemary and Sea Salt