Pasta salad is always a win in our house. And anything with pesto takes me right back to the time my husband and I tried to walk to Eataly in Rome and got chased by a dog along the way. If I learned one thing that day, it’s this, just take the train. But honestly, it was worth it because the creamy pesto pasta I had that day was incredible and totally inspired this Basil Pesto Pasta Salad.
This recipe has just five ingredients and is so, so good. My kids ask for all the varieties of pesto pasta all the time, with my 3-ingredient spinach pesto pasta in heavy rotation lately, and as a busy mom, I am more than happy to keep it on the menu.
My secret? I always have homemade basil pesto in the freezer. Toss it with a few simple ingredients, and boom, dinner is ready in under 20 minutes. Grab a bowl and let’s make it happen!
Ingredients
- Mozzarella balls: Use either bocconcini (the mozzarella pearls) or ciliegine (the slightly bigger sized mozzarella balls). If you can't find either of those, just tear up a piece of fresh mozzarella into the size bites you like.
- Pesto: I use homemade, but you can use store bought if that’s what is easy for you. Feel free to sub any type of pesto you want. Spinach pesto, broccoli pesto or even sundried tomato pesto. It’s all good!
- Pasta Shape: Use a short pasta that has some twirls or curls. My go to is fusilli, but gemelli, farfalle or even penne would make good substitutes.
If you are making your pesto from scratch, make it super smooth for this recipe. It will incorporate better with the rest of the ingredients.
Step by step directions
Start by boiling your pasta according to the package directions in salted water. When done cooking, drain, and rinse in cool water.
While the pasta cooks, prepare your other ingredients. Cut the tomatoes in half, drain the mozzarella balls and cut or tear them in half.
In a large mixing bowl, add your pesto a bit of pasta cooking water and mix it up until you have a looser version of your pesto. This is key to getting it to cover all the noodles well.
Add the drained pasta to the bowl on top of the pesto.
Mix the pasta and pesto together until the noodles are fully covered and the pesto well distributed.
Pile the mozzarella balls, cherry tomatoes and pine nuts on top. Then use a spoon (or a gloved hand) to mix everything together it's well incorporated.
Taste and salt as needed. Once it's all mixed together well, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Serving Tip: Before serving I like to add a few more leaves of chopped fresh basil for garnish. It's not only pretty, but the smell of the basil makes this pesto pasta salad hard to resist.
Variations
- Gluten Free: Simply swap the pasta for a gluten free pasta that you love.
- Dairy Free: Leave out the mozzarella balls and make a dairy free version of the pesto with nutritional yeast.
- More Veggies: Add as many more veggies as you would like, upping the amount of pesto to make sure that everything is seasoned well. Veggies like broccoli, baby spinach, artichokes and chopped onions all work well.
Serving Suggestions
While I could totally eat this pasta salad for lunch on its own any day, some people may want to serve this as a side dish or add to it to make it dinner.
- As a side to Salmon Piccata. The fish is super simple to make served with a quick sauteed spinach with a squeeze of lemon would be amazing!
- Make it a main: Stir in leftover flaked pesto salmon, canned tuna fish, or ripe avocado chunks with lots of extra veggies to bulk up the dish and call it dinner.
- For a potluck: Double the recipe and make it in a giant bowl for a recipe that everyone will love. You can easily swap out the fusilli for tortellini for an even heartier dish to share.
Storing Leftovers
I don’t suggest making this pesto pasta salad too far in advance. Basil pesto tends to turn from bright green to a much duller green quickly and people aren’t always into it. However, it’s just as delicious.
So if you have leftovers, simply keep them in the fridge, covered and give it a stir daily to ensure the flavors really get into every bite. It can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.
I like to use these glass bowls with lids. Great for mixing up, storing and also serving the pasta salad which helps me cut down on the number of dishes I'm cleaning!
Did you try this recipe and and love it? 😍 Let me know by leaving a comment below or 5 ⭐ rating!
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📖 Recipe
5-Ingredient Basil Pesto Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb pasta (something curly & swirly like fusilli)
- ½ cup pesto (homemade pesto or store bought)
- ¼ cup pasta water (save from cooking pasta)
- 1 cup mozzarella balls (torn to preferred size)
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
Instructions
Prep
- Start by boiling your pasta according to the package directions in salted water. When the pasta is done cooking, drain, and rinse in cool water and save your cooking water.
- While the pasta cooks, prepare your other ingredients. Cut the tomatoes in half, drain the mozzarella balls and cut or tear them in half.
Mix the pasta salad up
- In a large mixing bowl, add your pesto a bit of pasta cooking water and mix it up until you have a looser version of your pesto. Add the drained pasta to the bowl on top of the pesto. Mix the pasta and pesto together until the noodles are fully covered and the pesto well distributed.
- Pile the mozzarella balls, cherry tomatoes and pine nuts on top. Then use a spoon (or a gloved hand) to mix everything together it's well incorporated.
- Taste and salt as needed. Once it's all mixed together enjoy right away or pop the pasta salad into the fridge until you are ready to serve.
Notes
- Be sure to save the pasta water from cooking your pasta. It's key to getting your pesto to the right consistency to cover all the noodles well.
- Add torn basil leaves right before serving to really up the pesto ante!
- Homemade pesto or the store bought variety will work in this recipe.
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