Recipe video above. Don't skimp on pesto, and don't be shy with olive oil. If you do, you'll end up staring at a mound of flavour-lacking, dry pesto pasta salad, thinking "darn it, I should have just followed the recipe!".PS Just 2 tablespoons of mayo is the secret here. Just gives an edge of creaminess without weighing it down, plus significantly improves the quality of next-day leftovers - prevents it from drying out.TIP: Homemade pesto obviously rules here, but if you need to resort to store-bought, get it from the fridge rather than aisle. It's better.
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time15 minutesmins
Course: cold pasta salad, Mains, pasta salad
Cuisine: Western
Keyword: cold pasta salad, pesto pasta salad, vegetarian pasta salad
Servings: 5
Calories: 663cal
Author: Nagi
Ingredients
350g / 12ozspiral pasta(fusilli, or other of choice, 3 1/2 cups)
Cook pasta - Bring 3 litres of water to the boil with the salt. Cook for the pasta packet time + 1 minute. Drain in a colander, rinse under cold water. Shake off excess water well, then allow to fully cool and dry.
Pesto - Place all ingredients in a tall jug just large enough to fit the head of a stick blender. Blitz under pretty smooth. Not a green smoothie, we still want some visible green bits! but not chunks.
Toss - Place pasta in a bowl, scrape in the pesto. Add mayonnaise then toss well. Add bocconcini and tomato, toss gently just to disperse. Add rocket/arugula and toss just to disperse.
Serve - Transfer into a serving bowl. Scatter with basil leaves, if using. Serve!
Notes
Serves 4 to 5 as a meal, or 8 to 10 as a side (or more, if this is part of a larger banquet!)1. Pesto - Homemade really is superior, but if you need to use store bought, use just shy of 1 cup. Try to get it from the fridge rather than aisle - fresher!2. Mayonnaise is not intended to make this a creamy pasta salad. It just adds "juiciness" and prevents it from drying out - because dry pasta salads is a pet peeve of mine! If you don't want to use mayo, add an extra 2 tablespoons of olive oil instead.3. Baby bocconcini - small, soft mozzarella balls. They have a mild flavour, ie not salted. Fabulous in pasta salads, especially with pesto pasta salad!4. Leftovers will keep well for 2 days though it does lose the vibrant green colour. Keep in the fridge in a very airtight container (this will preserve greenness as best as possible). Always bring to room temperature before eating, for best flavour and pasta texture.Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings.