Pesto Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Cucumber, Mozzarella Cheese, and Pine Nuts takes only 15 minutes and makes a stunning appetizer, light meal, or even dinner! This crowd-pleasing side dish is perfect for sharing. Bring it to picnics, potlucks, BBQs, or parties. This simple and quick Italian-inspired pasta salad can be made with homemade basil pesto or store-bought pesto and is sure to become a family favorite.
Basil pesto pasta salad
This recipe was inspired by my super popular pesto salad with tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, and mozzarella. It's pretty much the same recipe, except I added pasta and excluded avocado (to make this recipe more meal-prep-friendly).
- Fresh ingredients. This tasty pesto pasta salad features fresh produce (cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion), fresh Mozzarella cheese (little balls or "pearls"), and farfalle (or simply bow-tie pasta).
- For the salad dressing, use store-bought basil pesto or make basil pesto from scratch and add a small amount of freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- Add nuts. Since basil pesto is usually made with pine nuts, I decided to throw a handful of toasted pine nuts on top of the salad for a crunch and nutty flavor.
The perfect Summer pasta salad
- Use your favorite Summer produce. It's a flexible and easily adjustable recipe that can be changed to whatever you have on hand. Add your favorite veggies: tomatoes, cucumber, zucchini, bell pepper, broccoli, spinach, and arugula. Use any shape of pasta you like (short pasta works the best!)
- This salad pairs well with any Summer dinner. You can also serve it as a light snack or lunch! It's a great appetizer to bring to parties, BBQs, cookouts, and other Summer festivities!
Why you'll love it
- Pesto pasta salad uses basic ingredients - which makes it a perfect everyday salad to serve with your weeknight dinner. It also makes a beautiful presentation when prepared for a special occasion or holiday.
- This salad keeps well refrigerated for up to 3 days, so it's perfect for meal prep, or to make ahead for lunch and snacks.
- The salad can be easily made ahead by precooking the pasta and using store-bought basil pesto.
- Other Summer pasta salads I recommend are Italian Fusilli with Spinach, Artichokes, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes or this tasty Greek pasta salad with spinach and cherry tomatoes.
Ingredients you need
- Pasta. Use short pasta, such as fusilli, farfalle (bow-tie pasta), or penne. Orzo is a great option, as well. Cook the pasta al dente for the best texture.
- Basil pesto. You can make your own or use your favorite brand. When buying pesto at the grocery store, I usually buy the refrigerated pesto, Buitoni brand. I also love the refrigerated basil pesto sold at Whole Foods.
- Cherry tomatoes. I used 2 colors: yellow and red. Slice them in half.
- Cucumber. I used one large cucumber.
- Red onion adds nice flavor - you only need about ¼ cup of it (or more if you like!).
- Fresh Mozzarella cheese - I used small balls ("pearls"). You can use any kind of fresh Mozzarella - just slice it into small pieces if you can't find Mozzarella "pearls".
- Pine nuts. I toasted them lightly for 5 minutes on a parchment paper-lined rimmed baking sheet in the preheated oven at 250 F just until light brown color.
How to make pesto pasta salad
- First, you will cook the pasta in boiling water according to the package instructions. While the pasta is cooking, proceed with preparing the rest of the ingredients.
- In a large bowl, combine sliced cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumber, fresh Mozzarella "pearls", and diced red onion.
- Then, add cooked and drained pasta.
- Add basil pesto to taste. Mix to combine.
- Top with toasted pine nuts.
How to make basil pesto from scratch
Here is a simple recipe for my favorite version of homemade basil pesto. This amount of ingredients makes about 1 cup or 1.5 cups of basil pesto.
The ingredients for basil pesto
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
- ½ cup pine nuts toasted
- 4 garlic cloves
- ½ cup Parmesan or Romano cheese, freshly shredded
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- salt and pepper to taste
The directions for making basil pesto
- Place all ingredients (except salt and pepper) in the food processor and blend for about 5 minutes or 10 minutes until you get the pesto-like sauce.
- You might have to work in batches.
- If low on basil, you can add spinach, arugula, or parsley.
- Add salt to taste.
Substitutions, variations, and add-ins
- Pasta. I used farfalle (bow-tie pasta) but you can use any kind of short pasta. This includes small pasta shells, orecchiette pasta, fusilli (spiral pasta), penne, rigatoni, or rotini.
- Cheese. Use small Mozzarella balls (pearls) or cubed feta cheese. You can also use grated Parmesan, Asiago, or Romano cheese.
- Veggies. Add your favorites, such as fresh tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, spinach, asparagus, broccoli, arugula, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, green onions, and cooked asparagus.
- Add olives or capers. They will add a delicious briny flavor to this pesto pasta salad.
- Add beans, such as chickpeas or cannellini beans.
- Add pine nuts. I recommend briefly toasting them in the preheated oven at 350 F for just 5 minutes until lightly browned. They taste so much better when toasted! But watch them carefully, as these nuts can burn quickly.
- Add heat by sprinkling a few red pepper flakes over the pesto pasta salad.
- Add prosciutto or cooked bacon. You can briefly crispy up the prosciutto in the preheated oven at 350 F for about 10 minutes.
- Add a protein, such as grilled chicken, sauteed or grilled shrimp, or salmon to turn pesto pasta salad into an easy weeknight dinner!
Tips for Success
- Cook pasta al dente for the best texture. This kind of texture works the best with the pesto pasta salad especially if you want to make it ahead. To cook pasta al dente, you normally have to boil pasta 2 minutes shorter than normal. For example, if the package instructions tell you to boil pasta for 10 minutes - cook the pasta in boiling water for 8 minutes instead.
- Make it gluten-free. Use the gluten-free pasta of your choice. Lentil or chickpea gluten-free pasta will taste great here.
- Make it dairy-free by omitting Mozzarella cheese. Also, omit Parmesan cheese when making basil pesto from scratch using my recipe above. Or, purchase basil pesto clearly labeled as dairy-free or vegan.
Storage Tips
- Fridge. Store leftover pesto pasta salad in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If you plan on refrigerating the salad, you can combine all the salad ingredients, except the nuts. Add pine nuts last minute before serving.
Make-Ahead Tips
- You can easily make this salad ahead by combining all salad ingredients together except the basil pesto.
- I recommend cooking pasta al dente to prevent it from losing form.
- Add the salad dressing immediately before serving.
Other pasta salads you might like
- Italian Fusilli with Spinach, Artichokes, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Capers, Garlic, and Pine Nuts
- Greek Pasta Salad with Spinach and Cherry Tomatoes
- Corn Pasta Salad with Bacon and Creamy Pesto Dressing
- Summer Pasta Salad with Peaches, Spinach, Tomatoes, Prosciutto, and Mozzarella Cheese
- Broccoli Ranch Pasta Salad with Bacon, Tomatoes, Sweet Peas, and Cheddar Cheese
Pesto Pasta Salad
Pesto Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Cucumber, Mozzarella Cheese, and Pine Nuts takes only 15 minutes and makes a stunning appetizer, light meal, or even dinner! This crowd-pleasing side dish is perfect for sharing. Bring it to picnics, potlucks, BBQs, or parties. This simple and quick Italian-inspired pasta salad can be made with homemade basil pesto or store-bought pesto and is sure to become a family favorite.
Ingredients
Salad ingredients
Salad Dressing
- ¼ cup basil pesto or more, to taste (homemade or store-bought)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Cook pasta
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package instructions. Drain.
- While the pasta is cooking, proceed with the rest of the recipe.
Assembly
- In a large bowl, combine halved red and yellow cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced cucumber, diced red onion, and small fresh mozzarella cheese balls ("pearls"). Add cooked and drained pasta.
- Add basil pesto and lemon juice to the salad and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Use more basil pesto and more lemon juice, if desired.
- When serving, top with pine nuts.
- Want to make basil pesto from scratch? Here is a super flavorful and creamy Homemade Basil Pesto Recipe that will work great in this recipe!
Nutrition
Nutrition Information
Pesto Pasta Salad
Amount per Serving
Calories
545
% Daily Value*
Fat
27
g
42
%
Saturated Fat
9
g
56
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
5
g
Monounsaturated Fat
6
g
Cholesterol
46
mg
15
%
Sodium
521
mg
23
%
Potassium
564
mg
16
%
Carbohydrates
52
g
17
%
Fiber
4
g
17
%
Sugar
6
g
7
%
Protein
24
g
48
%
Vitamin A
961
IU
19
%
Vitamin C
18
mg
22
%
Calcium
348
mg
35
%
Iron
2
mg
11
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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