A flavor-packed Pesto Pasta Salad with tomatoes, red onions, cucumbers, mozzarella, and toasted pine nuts. This delectable salad is the perfect summer salad for grilled chicken, fish, or steak. I love to make this with my homemade pesto sauce, but for speed and ease, store-bought will work as well.
We are always up for a good pasta salad, especially during the hot summer months, when a nice, cool one is always appreciated. This pasta salad, Italian Tortellini Pasta Salad, Tuna Pasta Salad, and Taco Pasta Salad are just a few of our favorites.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
See the complete list of ingredients on the recipe card below.
- Pasta: I like to use fusilli pasta, but other good choices are farfalle, penne, rotini, and corkscrew. Just make sure to cook it slightly al dente and to drain it very well.
- Tomatoes: Use any sun-ripened tomatoes, including grape, cherry, or garden or greenhouse varieties. Just chop in bite-sized pieces to complement the salad.
- English cucumbers: Use English cucumbers for tender skins that don’t need peeling. If using regular cucumbers, peel them to remove the thick skin before slicing.
- Mozzarella balls: Mozzarella balls are available in the fresh cheese case at most grocery stores. You can substitute cubes or even shredded mozzarella if that is all that is available.
- Pesto sauce: Use homemade or store-bought.
- Pine nuts: You can substitute walnuts, almonds, or cashews.
How to make Pesto Pasta Salad
This is a summary version; for the complete list of ingredients and instructions, please refer to the recipe card below.
- Start by cooking your pasta until slightly al dente, then drain well.
- In a large bowl, combine the pasta, tomatoes, red onions, mozzarella balls, cucumbers, and pesto sauce. Stir gently to combine.
- Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Finally, sprinkle the toasted pine nuts on the top of the pasta salad.
Preparation Tips For Success
- Cook the pasta slightly al dente. Al dente means the pasta is slightly chewy and firm. This is always the best way to cook pasta for pasta salad.
- Fresh homemade pesto sauce is so flavorful. If you have the time and energy, it is well worth the effort.
- To make this the day before, only combine with half the pesto sauce, cover and refrigerate. Toss with the remaining pesto sauce right before serving.
More Salad Recipes
Doritos Taco Salad
Chef Salad
Thai Chicken Salad
Tomato Salad
Pesto Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fusilli pasta
- 1½ cups grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1½ cups sliced English cucumber
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella balls
- ⅓ cup chopped red onion
- 1 cup fresh pesto sauce or store-bought
- ¼ cup pine nuts
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions (slightly al dente) and drain well.
- In a large bowl, combine the pasta, tomatoes, cucumber, mozzarella balls, red onion, and pesto sauce. Stir gently to combine.
- Add the pine nuts to a dry skillet over medium heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown, stirring very frequently. Sprinkle the toasted pine nuts on top of the pasta salad.
Notes
Nutrition
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Kaitlin
pesto is one of my favourite sauces – Toasted pine nuts on top of the pesto pasta salad is such a nice finishing touch!! Thanks for sharing!
Beth Pierce
You are most welcome, Kaitlin!
Elizabeth F
Pasta with pesto salad is one of my all time favorite comfort food and I enjoy eating it anytime I can.
There is something about the combination of ingredients and the addition of pine nuts and fresh mozzarella cheese balls/bites that capture the flavors and adds it as delicious comfort food to my list of favorites. Yum!
Beth Pierce
I could not agree more, Elizabeth!
Sonia
Toasted pine nuts on top would give this such a nice bit of crunch. I also love that store-bought pesto works when time is short, because sometimes easy really is best. This looks like a perfect warm-weather meal.
Beth Pierce
Yes indeed! Enjoy!
Alejandra
It’s the king of flavorful salad I love during the summer. The recipe is delicious and perfect for a quick lunch or light family dinner.
Clarice
This looks really delicious! I don’t usually add tomatoes to my pesto salad, but those cherry tomatoes look like they would be a great addition. I’ll definitely give this version a try. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Beth Pierce
The pleasure is all mine! Enjoy!
Anna
This recipe checked all my boxes – quick to make, DELICIOUS, with simple ingredients I can easily get. Did I mention delicious? 🙂 Thank you for the inspiration!
Beth Pierce
The pleasure is all mine, Anna!
Karen
I’ve recently learned how to make pesto sauce so your recipe came at the perfect time. I can’t wait to try out my delicious pesto sauce with this delicious pasta salad… mouth-watering.
Catalina
I made this for a picnic and it was such a hit. The pesto gave the pasta so much flavor, and it was delicious straight from the fridge!
Beth Pierce
So happy that you liked it, Catalina!
Amy Dong
I made this over the weekend, and it was a huge hit. I’ll definitely be making it again for our next gathering!
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Amy! So glad that you liked it.
Lora
Excellent pasta salad. Perfect for end of summer. I used cucumbers from my garden!