Pesto Pasta Salad

This Creamy Pesto Pasta Salad recipe is easy and packed with flavor! It’s the perfect side dish for summer.

What could be a better summer dish par excellence than a good pasta salad? try that Pesto Pasta Salad Recipe that celebrates everything that’s seasonal in summer! It features fluffy loops with hits of fresh cherry tomatoes, zesty artichokes and peppery baby arugula. Make a batch of fresh basil pesto or store-bought it, then toss in a creamy dressing to cover it all. This one was so irresistible we couldn’t help but rave about how good it tasted after every bite (and our 5 year old devoured it!).

Ingredients for this Pesto Pasta Salad recipe

This pesto pasta salad recipe is easier than most pasta salads because the ingredient list is short and sweet. The most important thing here? A quality pesto. It’s best with homemade, but you can also buy it (see below for more info). Here’s what you need:

• Bow ties (farfalle) or other short pasta
• Canned artichoke hearts
• cherry tomatoes
• sliced ​​pepperoncini
• rocket
• Grated parmesan cheese
• Basil pesto
• Greek yogurt or sour cream
• mayonnaise
• Salt

For the pesto: homemade vs. store-bought

This pesto pasta salad tastes best when you make it with homemade basil pesto, made with fresh summer basil! Of course we know that this is not always possible. Here’s the problem with pesto: The pesto you buy varies widely from brand to brand. Many store-bought brands taste intensely sour or have an odd aftertaste. Here’s what you need to know:

• Homemade pesto tastes best! Basil pesto tastes best when you make it yourself. You can also try arugula pesto or kale pesto.
• The brands of pesto that are purchased vary greatly in taste: some are very acidic. We have experimented with many different brands: and they all have different levels of salt and acidity.
• Packets of fresh pesto are on the market now, and some taste better than the jars. Experiment to find the one you like!

Advice on dressing for pasta salad

This pesto pasta salad has a deliciously creamy dressing you’ll love, made with a combination of Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, and pesto. We made this creamy one because we find that pesto on its own can get sticky and dry. Mixing it with some yogurt and mayonnaise will help coat the pasta better. Don’t want to use Greek yogurt? You can substitute sour cream instead.

Use any type of short pasta

This pesto pasta salad works with any type of short pasta you have on hand! We love the bow tie for this one for the way it looks and how it spreads out with the other ingredients. Here are some other types of short pasta that work well:

• Necktie (butterflies): our favorite!
• spirals (fusili)
• penne
• Shellfish (medium sized)
• Orecchiette
• Twins
• lilies

Prepare and store pesto pasta salad

This Pesto Pasta Salad is a great picnic or BBQ salad! It tastes best immediately after preparation, but keeps well. If you prepare ahead of time and refrigerate, consider refreshing the flavors before serving, as the pasta salad may lose flavor during storage. Here’s what you need to know:

• Pesto pasta salad will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. It’s ideal for BBQs or healthy lunches all week long.
• After chilling, be sure to refresh the flavors. Bring the salad to room temperature. Taste and see if you need to add an extra pinch of salt. If the pasta salad seems dry, add a dollop of sour cream, mayonnaise, or pesto to revitalize the creamy texture.

More pasta salad recipes

There’s nothing quite like a great pasta salad for a summer event, whether it’s a BBQ, BBQ or picnic! Here are some other pasta salad recipes we love:

This Pesto Pasta Salad Recipe is…

Vegetarian.