italian pesto pasta salad
No Image
I combined two of my "go to" favorites and came up with this recipe recently when we wanted a quick pasta lunch. It was quite good. You can change the vegetables to suit your taste preferences, but the list of ingredients as listed makes for a rather tasty salad recipe. For a more substantial dish, you can add some chopped up salami or chopped jamon (Spanish ham) to the salad. The recipe makes a fresh pesto from scratch. For more convenience, you can use a commercial pesto sauce. If you do so, then you can skip Step #1 and just move on to step #2 of the recipe roasting the bell pepper.
►
yield
4 to 6
prep time
35 Min
cook time
10 Min
method
Stove Top
Ingredients For italian pesto pasta salad
- PESTO SAUCE
-
1 cupfresh basil leaves
-
3 clovegarlic, peeled
-
3 Tbsppine nuts
-
1/3 cupfreshly grated parmesan cheese (it's best to avoid the canned grated parmesan)
-
salt and pepper, to taste
-
1/3 cupolive oil
- PASTA SALAD
-
1 (16-oz) pkgpenne pasta, cooked and drained
-
10sun-dried tomatoes, drained (reserve the oil)
-
1red or green bell pepper, roasted and cut in half and sliced into thin strips
-
8 spearsasparagus, cut into 1-inch lengths
-
3/4 cupsliced olives
-
6 ozsliced mushrooms
-
1 cupbroccolini, cut into bite-size pieces
How To Make italian pesto pasta salad
-
1FOR THE PESTO SAUCE: Pulse the basil, garlic, pine nuts and Parmesan cheese in a food processor for 10 seconds. With the food processor still on, pour olive oil in a steady stream and continue to process for a few more seconds or until well blended. Set pesto sauce aside. (It will keep in refrigerator for up to one week if stored in an air-tight container.)
-
2TO ROAST THE BELL PEPPER: Slice the pepper in half vertically (from stem to bottom). Remove seeds. Place peppers cut side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast the peppers in 450° oven for about 25 minutes or until the skins are wrinkled and just starting to char. Rotate the pan about half way through roasting, for even charring.
-
3Cook pasta until al dente, and drain well. Add pasta (while still hot but well drained) in a large mixing bowl. Add all of the cut-up vegetables and pesto sauce, and toss well until well blended.
-
4IF SERVING WARM: Place a clean cloth over the bowl and let stand about 10 minutes, to allow the hot pasta and roasted pepper to soften the vegetables. IF SERVING CHILLED: Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and chill in refrigerator until ready to serve.
- Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT