Summer Pasta Salad Pesto (Printable)

Bright pasta featuring basil pesto, cherry tomatoes, and parmesan, ideal for warm weather lunches.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 10.5 oz short pasta such as fusilli, penne, or farfalle
02 - Salt for boiling water

→ Pesto

03 - 1.75 oz fresh basil leaves
04 - 1.4 oz pine nuts, lightly toasted
05 - 1 garlic clove
06 - 1.75 oz parmesan cheese, grated
07 - 3.4 fl oz extra virgin olive oil
08 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Salad Components

09 - 8.8 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
10 - 1.75 oz baby arugula, optional
11 - 1 oz parmesan cheese shavings for garnish
12 - Zest of 1 lemon

# Directions:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente according to package directions. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold running water until completely cooled. Set aside.
02 - While pasta cooks, add basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic clove, and grated parmesan to a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. With the processor running, gradually stream in olive oil until the mixture reaches a smooth consistency. Season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Adjust seasoning to taste.
03 - Transfer the cooled pasta to a large mixing bowl. Add halved cherry tomatoes and baby arugula if desired. Mix gently to combine.
04 - Pour the prepared pesto over the pasta mixture and toss thoroughly to coat all ingredients evenly. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed with additional salt and pepper.
05 - Transfer the salad to a serving platter. Garnish with parmesan cheese shavings and fresh lemon zest. Serve immediately at room temperature, or refrigerate for up to 2 hours before serving.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes like summer decided to show up in a bowl, and you'll want to eat it at every outdoor gathering from now on.
  • The pesto is so fresh and garlicky that store-bought versions will never quite measure up once you've tasted homemade.
  • It comes together faster than you'd think, leaving you time to actually enjoy the day instead of being stuck in the kitchen.
02 -
  • Rinsing the pasta after cooking is the secret to keeping this salad fresh and preventing it from turning into a dense, starchy clump—don't skip this step thinking it removes flavor, because it doesn't.
  • If your pesto seems bitter or harsh, you likely over-processed it or your basil got bruised; make pesto gently and quickly, and use basil that isn't already turning brown.
03 -
  • Toast your pine nuts in a dry skillet for just two minutes—they go from raw to burnt faster than you'd expect, but those two minutes make them incomparably better.
  • If you can't find good fresh basil or you're short on time, store-bought pesto works, though you'll taste the difference and might want to brighten it with an extra squeeze of lemon juice.
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