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Pesto Pasta Salad

If you are looking for a delicious and simple pesto pasta salad recipe for summer, you are at the right place! This Pesto Pasta Salad is a quick side dish coated in my mouthwatering homemade pesto.

Packed with yummy ingredients such as feta cheese, pesto, cherry tomatoes, and pesto mayo, this pesto pasta salad is the ultimate side dish for picnics, BBQs, cookouts, or potlucks this summer. It is easy to make, so easy to transport, and irresistible!

A large bowl of pesto pasta salad tossed with cubed feta, cherry tomatoes and fresh basil

An Amazing Pesto Pasta Salad

My criteria for the perfect pesto pasta salad is essentially the three ‘S’: simple, straightforward, and scrumptious. None of that plain jane bland-tasting pasta salad business.

When you sink your teeth into this gem of a pesto pasta salad, you get a lovely bite of chewy pasta mixed in with sharp crumbly cheese, juicy cherry tomatoes, and fresh basil leaves which bring a touch of freshness.

The whole thing is tossed in the most delicious pesto mayo sauce. Mayonnaise is added to the pesto to give it great depth of flavor and so much moisture. I tried it without it, and it just doesn’t taste as good.

There’s mayo in it, but the mayo flavor is not overpowering at all. It is still full of that classic amazing pesto flavor.

I highly recommend making the pesto mayo for this pesto pasta salad with this spectacular pistachio pesto, which is my favorite kind of pesto ever, and I use it to make so many yummy pasta dishes including this Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta.

In a pinch or for the ease of it, you can use store-bought pesto. But that pistachio pesto…it’s one of those blow-your-mind-good kinda pesto, that even if you don’t try it for this pesto pasta salad, you definitely should try it someday!

This pesto pasta salad can be served in room temperature, slightly warm or cold, which makes it the perfect potluck and cookout dish for the spring summer.

You can also turn this into a quick lunch or dinner by bulking it up with protein such as Italian Grilled Chicken or Air Fryer Steak Tips.

Ingredients

To make this simple pesto pasta salad, you will need just the following six ingredients:

Pesto pasta salad tossed in pesto mayo sauce
  • pasta – my favorite pasta to use for this is fusilli (spiral), but you can use any short form pasta (penne, rigatoni, bow tie etc) so that it’s easy to mix and coat with sauces and ingredients.
  • pesto – you can use fresh homemade pesto, store-bought pesto, or freeze-dried pesto. Homemade is always the best, and it takes a few extra steps, but keep in mind that homemade pesto takes less than 10 minutes to make and there is no cooking involved.
  • feta cheese – this cheese adds a crumbly, tangy dimension to the pasta salad
  • cherry tomatoes – small tomatoes works best as large tomato chunks tend to make the pesto pasta soggy and wet. Grape tomatoes are a great alternative.
  • mayonnaise – use good quality mayo. Hellman’s my favorite.
  • fresh basil – this is optional, especially if using basil pesto. However, using it as garnish brings a nice burst of fresh flavor to the dish.

How to make pesto pasta salad

Cook Pasta

Cook pasta according to package instructions.

I like to bring a large pot of water to a boil (the wider pot the better) and cook the pasta until it is al-dente.

Once pasta is fully cook, drain to remove water, and drizzle a few drops of olive oil onto pasta and mix it so that pasta do not stick together.

Set it aside to cool – we want the pasta to cool completely before tossing it with the other ingredients, especially feta cheese, so that the cheese doesn’t melt.

To help speed up the cooling process, transfer pasta into a flat surface such as a baking sheet, spread it out and let it cool.

Prep ingredients

While pasta is cooling, prepare the ingredients that will go into the pesto pasta salad.

Start by halving cherry tomatoes, and cutting cubes of feta cheese.

Bring together salad

Once pasta is fully cooled, or slightly cooled to avoid cheese from melting, bring everything together in a large mixing bowl.

This includes only a few simple ingredients such as the cooled noodles, cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, mayonnaise, and pesto.

Spiral pasta, halved cherry tomatoes, cubed feta, mayo and pesto in a large mixing bowl.

Use a spatula to gently toss ingredients in pesto mayo, avoid squishing the ingredients.

Once everything is mixed together, give it a try.

If needed, add salt to your taste preference. Salt always opens up the flavors and balances the bites.

Fusilli pasta, cherry tomatoes and feta coated in pesto mayo

Transfer pesto pasta salad into a serving bowl, and garnish with chopped fresh basil.

One of my favorite things about this delicious pesto pasta salad is that it is easy to make ahead and can be served warm, cold or in room temperature!

This makes it so convenient and can be prepared ahead of time for cookouts, BBQs, potlucks, picnics and big dinner parties.

The basil, tomatoes and feta makes this such a lovely concoction of summer flavors…truly a must this time of the year.

Tips and Tricks

I know I keep raving about how seriously delicious and easy this simple pesto pasta salad really is. Here are a few things to note make your pesto pasta salad taste that much better:

  • bring noodles to room temperature or cooler before adding feta cheese or the cheese will melt
  • let noodles sit in a flat surface to cool so that it cools faster
  • toss noodles in a little bit of olive oil after it cooks so that it does not stick together
  • taste pasta salad at the end and always add salt to taste at the end to open up the flavors!
A large oval plate loaded with pesto pasta salad

Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions

Store pesto pasta salad covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days. For best taste, do not store pesto pasta for longer than that. The cheese (especially feta) tends to become soggy and wet after being in the pasta salad for longer than that.

Pesto pasta salad makes a great make-ahead side dish and keeps very well in the refrigerator.

Frequently Asked Questions

What protein should I add to my Pesto Pasta Salad?

Grilled chicken, shrimp, or even chickpeas are great additions for extra protein.

How can I make the pesto creamier?

You can add more mayonnaise, or also add Greek yogurt or heavy cream to it.

Can I use store-bought pesto?

Absolutely! While homemade pesto is often fresher and more flavorful, high-quality store-bought varieties can work well and save time.

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More Pasta Salads

Closeup of fusilli pasta salad with grape tomatoes and cubed feta cheese tossed in a pesto sauce

Pesto Pasta Salad

This bright and flavorful pasta salad brings together fusilli pasta, cherry tomatoes, feta cheese in a creamy pesto mayo mixture. Served in room temperature or cold, this makes a simple and easy side dish for cookout, potlucks and dinners for the summer.
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Course: Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Italian
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 311kcal
Author: MinShien

Ingredients

  • ½ lb fusilli pasta
  • 10 oz cherry tomatoes halved
  • 1 cup feta cheese cubed
  • 1 tbsp mayonnaise
  • ½ cup pesto
  • ½ tsp salt or to taste
  • 5-7 fresh basil leaves chopped, for garnish

Instructions

  • Bring water to boil in a pot, and cook pasta according to package directions. When done, drain water from pasta. Set pasta aside and let it cool to room temperature.
  • Prep other ingredients while noodles are cooling.
  • Once the noodles are at room temperature, combine noodles, tomatoes, cheese, feta, mayonnaise, and pesto. Toss to combine.
  • Taste to see if salt is needed, then add salt to taste if needed.
  • Garnish with fresh basil. Serve and enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 311kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 694mg | Potassium: 203mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 755IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 170mg | Iron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?Take a pic and tag me at @joyous.apron, or hashtag #joyousapron on Instagram!

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