Recipes Salad Pasta Salad Pesto Pasta Salad 5.0 (8) 8 Reviews 3 Photos This pesto pasta salad is perfect for a summer picnic or as a side for a barbecue. Use homemade pesto for best results. Feel free to customize the salad with additional vegetables to your liking. By Kathryn Hendrix, RDN, LD Kathryn Hendrix, RDN, LD Kathryn Hendrix is a Registered Dietitian and Culinary School Graduate. She specializes in Whole Food Plant Based, Vegan, Gluten Free, and Nutrition. She has over 10 years culinary experience and has been cooking vegan her whole life. Allrecipes' editorial guidelines Updated on July 26, 2023 Tested by Emily Nienhaus Tested by Emily Nienhaus Emily is a recipe developer at Dotdash Meredith with a focus on food trends, and inventing new ways to bring interesting flavors to your dinner table. When not in the kitchen Emily enjoys hiking, camping and spending time with friends, although these hobbies always lead back to food being the focus. Meet the Allrecipes Test Kitchen Save Rate Print Share Close Add Photo 3 3 Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 10 mins Total Time: 20 mins Servings: 6 Jump to Nutrition Facts Jump to recipe This pesto pasta salad recipe, developed in our test kitchen by culinary expert Kathryn Hendrix, is wonderfully fresh and flavorful. Pesto Pasta Salad Ingredients These are the ingredients you’ll need to make this pesto pasta salad recipe: Pasta: Start with your favorite fusilli or spiral pasta. Tomatoes: Opt for (halved) cherry tomatoes. Arugula: Lend color with fresh arugula or spinach. Pesto: Use store-bought pesto or make your own at home. Cheese: You’ll need fresh mozzarella balls (or feta crumbles) and Parmesan cheese. Mayonnaise: Mayonnaise adds creaminess and tanginess. Lemon juice: Lemon juice gives the pasta salad welcome brightness. Seasonings: Season the pesto pasta salad with salt and freshly ground black pepper. How to Make Pesto Pasta Salad You’ll find the full, step-by-step recipe below — but here’s a brief overview of what you can expect when you make pesto pasta salad at home: Cook the pasta and reserve some of the pasta water. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Add reserved water to thin out the pesto. Season. Test Kitchen Tips This recipe was developed in our test kitchen. Check out some tips and tricks from culinary experts that might make the cooking process easier: If you’re making your own pesto, Kathryn says, you can use any nut or seed you want instead of pine nuts (such as walnuts or pepitas). Make it a protein-packed main course by adding cooked chicken or (drained) chickpeas. Rinse pasta in cold water to cool it quickly and keep it from cooking further from residual heat, recommends Juliana Hale. If the pasta is warm, it can wilt the arugula and tomatoes. How to Store Pesto Pasta Salad Store the pesto pasta salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. This actually makes a great make-ahead dish, as it’s served cold and the flavors will meld in the fridge over time. Editorial contributions by Corey Williams Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 1x 2x 4x Oops! Something went wrong. Our team is working on it. Original recipe (1X) yields 6 servings 12 ounces fusilli or other spiral pasta 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved 2 cups packed arugula or spinach 1 cup homemade pesto or 1 (6.5-ounce) jar purchased basil pesto 1/2 cup fresh pearl mozzarella balls or cubed feta cheese 1/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese 2 tablespoons mayonnaise 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Directions Gather your ingredients. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook fusilli in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios Rinse pasta under cold water to cool. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios Combine cooked pasta, tomatoes, arugula, pesto, mozzarella, Parmesan, mayonnaise, and lemon juice in a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios Add reserved pasta water as needed to thin out the pesto. Season with salt and pepper. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios Serve immediately, or cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios I Made It Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 373 Calories 24g Fat 27g Carbs 13g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 6 Calories 373 % Daily Value * Total Fat 24g 31% Saturated Fat 6g 32% Cholesterol 16mg 5% Sodium 612mg 27% Total Carbohydrate 27g 10% Dietary Fiber 4g 14% Total Sugars 5g Protein 13g 27% Vitamin C 13mg 15% Calcium 341mg 26% Iron 3mg 19% Potassium 677mg 14% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. ** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data. (-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.