A vibrant summer pasta salad tossed in a creamy pesto dressing and topped with fresh tomatoes, toasted walnuts, Parmesan cheese, and lots of basil.
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Summer in Minnesota is chock-full of get-togethers. Picnics, weddings, BBQ’s, and small town festivals. On any given weekend you may find yourself at some sort of social gathering that ends with fireworks and a street dance. You will most certainly find a dazzling array of salads that are good for feeding a crowd – potato salads, macaroni salads, and other various forms of pasta salads. Trust me, no one is leaving these things hungry. And you know what? I love em’ all. I can put down some macaroni salad like no one’s business. This Creamy Pesto Summer Pasta salad puts an Italian twist on the classic. It’s full of vibrant and fresh flavors while still retaining that hearty quality that you come to expect from a pasta salad. Pair it with some freshly grilled bratwurst and corn on the cob and you might even get an introvert like me to show up at your party.
The key to any pasta salad is the dressing which provides a sort of base for the whole thing. This dressing couldn’t be easier. Part of what makes it so easy is the jarred pesto sauce. You can certainly use homemade pesto if you’re feeling ambitious, but hey – it’s summer in Minnesota and I’m not spending all my time in the kitchen. Simply combine a heaping 1/2 cup of mayo, 3/4 cup good quality jarred basil pesto sauce, 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice, 1 tsp. sugar, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a small bowl and whisk together until completely combined. Set the dressing aside for a few minutes to let the flavors meld together.
I love to add nuts to any salad – vegetable or pasta. They provide some nice crunch and texture. Heck, I’d put nuts on just about anything. Nuts are delicious. Even more delicious when they’re toasted. Chop 1 cup (4 oz.) of walnuts and place them in a small pan like this cast iron skillet for 5-7 minutes on medium-low heat. Stir the walnuts around often to avoid burning them. Once they’re nice and toasty remove them from the heat to cool.
Another component of this pasta salad is the tomatoes. They provide a welcome pop of freshness and acidity and tomatoes are basically basil’s best friend. Where basil goes, tomatoes will follow. Cut 2 10 oz. packages of grape tomatoes into quarters (or halves, depending on your preference). And of course we can’t forget about the pasta. It seems like the standard pasta for these type of things is fusilli or rotini. You can use any type of pasta you like but I found that the fusilli worked perfectly. Boil 1 16 oz (1 lb.) package of pasta until al dente, drain, and then run the pasta under cold water until it has cooled completely. Be careful not to overcook the pasta – overcooking may lead to a mushy texture.
Place the cooked and cooled pasta into a large bowl and add all of the other ingredients. Pour the dressing (you can use as much or as little as you like depending on how ‘creamy’ you like it), add the chopped tomatoes, toasted walnuts, 1/2 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese, and a generous amount of salt and pepper (adjust salt levels to taste). Mix all of these ingredients together until completely combined.
I like to top this salad with some freshly chopped basil just to drive home that basil flavor. Chop about 1 cup of fresh basil to garnish the salad. I’m going to encourage you not to follow my example when it comes to chopping basil – I was in Montana last week and the altitude combined with half a beer caused me to become lightheaded and resulted in me chopping the top of my pointer finger off while chiffonading some basil. This of course resulted in me fainting and just kind of put a damper on the whole night. Moral of the story? Pay attention to that knife! Once the basil is (safely) chopped, sprinkle a bunch of it over the salad along with some extra Parmesan cheese. Now you can bring a big batch of it to your next summer get-together!
A vibrant summer pasta salad tossed in a creamy pesto dressing and topped with fresh tomatoes, toasted walnuts, Parmesan cheese, and lots of basil.
- 1 lb. fusilli or rotini pasta
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 3/4 cup jarred basil pesto
- 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp. sugar
- pinch salt
- pinch pepper
- 2 10 oz. pacakages grape tomatoes
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup basil
- generous pinch salt
- generous pinch pepper
Boil pasta until al dente. Drain and run under cold water until pasta has completely cooled. Set aside.
For the dressing: Combine a heaping 1/2 cup mayo, 3/4 cup jarred basil pesto sauce, 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice, 1 tsp. sugar, and pinch of salt and pepper in a small bowl. Stir until completely combined. Place in fridge until needed.
Chop 1 cup walnuts. Place walnuts in a small pan for 5-7 minutes on medium-low. Stir the walnuts often to prevent burning.
Chop 2 packages of grape tomatoes into quarters.
Place cooled pasta in large bowl and add the dressing along with the chopped tomatoes, toasted walnuts, 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, and generous pinch of salt and pepper. Stir until completely combined.
Chop 1 cup of fresh basil. Serve pasta salad with freshly chopped basil and additional Parmesan cheese.
Be sure not to overcook the pasta. This will result in a mushy texture.
Looks good! And I nearly made pasta this afternoon thinking I’d have pasta salad for dinner. I didn’t think about adding walnuts to the salad, so thanks for the suggestion. I think that’ll be tomorrow night’s menu!
Thanks, Cheryl! I love walnuts – they add so much crunch and texture to your food.
Mmm. Nothing like a nice pasta salad at a cookout or bar-b-que! This creamy pesto version sounds soooooo good. I want to eat it all up! Of course, I have to make it first. 😉
Luckily this is a super easy recipe! 🙂