Pesto Pasta Salad

A delicious Pesto Pasta Salad made easy with fusilli pasta, tomatoes, red onion, cucumbers, mozzarella, and toasted pine nuts. Use either fresh homemade pesto or store bought for a quick and easy side or light dinner.

Course Salad

Cuisine Italian

Keyword cold pesto pasta salad, pesto pasta, pesto sauce pasta

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Servings servings

Calories 536kcal

Author Beth Pierce

Ingredients

12 ounces fusilli pasta
1 1/2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes sliced in half
1 1/2 cups sliced English cucumber
8 ounces fresh mozzarella balls
1/3 cup chopped red onion
1 cup fresh pesto sauce or store bought
1/4 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 the top of the pasta salad.

Notes

Cook the pasta slightly al dente. All dente is where the pasta is a little chewy and a little 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.
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.
I like to use English cucumbers in this salad but garden cucumbers will work too.
Use any kind of sun-ripened tomatoes including grape, cherry, or any kind of garden or hot house tomato. Just chop in bite size pieces to complement the salad.

Nutrition