Green Pesto Pasta Salad (Printable)

A vibrant, refreshing pasta dish featuring tender pasta, aromatic basil pesto, sweet peas, and juicy cherry tomatoes.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 10.5 ounces short pasta such as penne, fusilli, or farfalle

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 cup frozen peas
03 - 1⅓ cups cherry tomatoes, halved

→ Pesto

04 - 4 tablespoons basil pesto

→ Dairy

05 - ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, optional

→ Seasoning and Oil

06 - 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
07 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Garnish

08 - Fresh basil leaves, optional

# Directions:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil.
02 - Cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente.
03 - Add the frozen peas to the pot during the final 2 minutes of pasta cooking time.
04 - Drain the pasta and peas in a colander, rinse under cold running water until cooled, then drain thoroughly.
05 - Transfer the cooled pasta and peas to a large mixing bowl and combine with halved cherry tomatoes.
06 - Add the basil pesto and extra-virgin olive oil, tossing gently until all components are evenly coated.
07 - Adjust seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper to your preference.
08 - If desired, add grated Parmesan cheese and toss again. Garnish with fresh basil leaves before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together faster than most people can decide what to wear to a potluck.
  • The pesto does all the heavy lifting, so you look like a genius without breaking a sweat.
  • It actually tastes better after sitting for an hour, which means you can make it ahead and forget about it.
  • Leftovers hold up beautifully in the fridge for next-day lunches that don't taste sad.
02 -
  • If you skip rinsing the pasta with cold water, the residual heat will turn your pesto army green and dull instead of vibrant and fresh.
  • Adding the pesto to hot pasta also makes it seize up and clump, trust me, I learned this the hard way at a picnic where my salad looked like a science experiment.
  • Taste the salad just before serving, flavors dull as it sits in the fridge, so you might need to add a pinch more salt or a drizzle of olive oil to wake everything back up.
03 -
  • Save a cup of the pasta cooking water before you drain, if the salad looks dry later, a splash of that starchy water will loosen everything without making it oily.
  • Use the best pesto you can find or make, since it's the star here, a bland or bitter pesto will make the whole dish taste flat.
  • If your tomatoes aren't perfectly ripe, toss them with a tiny pinch of sugar and a little salt ten minutes before adding them, it coaxes out their sweetness.
Go Back