Pasta Salad for Summer

There are few things better than pesto, on anything really, but especially with pasta. This pesto pasta salad is no exception and it’s incredibly easy to make. Blend up your own pesto dressing with tahini instead of pine nuts while the pasta cooks, toss in some cherry tomatoes, chopped avocado, and optional mozzarella cheese, and you have a meal.

The dressing is how I usually make pesto (see this dairy-free pesto as just one example among many), with tahini instead of nuts for a smoother result. It’s not only much less expensive – the smooth, luxurious texture is much better suited to a pasta salad than a typical store-bought pesto.

The add-ins are simple here to let the pesto flavour shine but can be expanded depending on what you have on hand. I’ve included several suggestions below.

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Ingredients You’ll Need and Why

For any recipe that uses basil, it’s best to either buy it still growing in a pot, or to use immediately after harvesting if you grow your own. Store-bought or market basil that’s been cut to sell isn’t worth buying and doesn’t taste like anything. These are my notes from recipe testing. Find the full recipe card below with complete measurements and instructions.

• Basil: use the freshest basil you can get your hands on, with soft, delicate leaves. Basil that has hard, thick leaves has gotten too cold and the flavour isn’t as good.
• Pasta: use a short pasta with texture or folds, like fusilli as pictured. I use whole grain pasta for the taste and extra fibre but you should use your favourite short pasta. Choose a good gluten-free alternative if needed.
• Tahini: sunflower seed butter and almond butter are the best alternatives. Pine nuts can, of course, be used instead, but be sure to blend very well to make the dressing as smooth as possible if you do use seeds or nuts.
• Lemon: there is no good substitution for lemon. While I have made pesto with a splash of white wine vinegar in the past, it really isn’t comparable.
• Olive oil: a very strong-tasting olive oil will be noticeable in the salad. Use your preferred extra virgin olive oil, or substitute another light-tasting oil instead.
• Garlic: pesto tastes flat without garlic, so don’t leave it out unless absolutely necessary. I don’t recommend trying to sub garlic powder, which has a completely different flavour than fresh garlic.
• Tomatoes: replace fresh cherry tomatoes with sun-dried tomatoes if making this out of season.
• Avocado: you can consider the avocado to be optional, so feel free to skip it if they’re out of season where you live, or you don’t have one that’s ripe. I like the extra creaminess since I often make pesto pasta salad without the cheese.
• Mozzarella: use mini mozzarella (bocconcini) or a vegan alternative. There are some excellent dairy-free cheese alternatives out there these days and I’m often pleasantly surprised. Use either the avocado or mozzarella or both, but don’t leave them both out. Try big white beans to replace the cheese for another dairy-free alternative.
• Add-ins: try red pepper, pan-fried or roasted zucchini, hardy greens like spinach or rucola (rocket/arugula), olives, artichoke hearts, and green peas.

How to Make Pesto Salad

This uses my pesto vinaigrette with extra tahini for slightly more creaminess, which is needed for pasta salad. It needs to be blended before adding to the cooked pasta and other salad elements.

Step 1: add all of the dressing ingredients to a bullet blender or mixing container if using an immersion blender. Mix on high speed until completely smooth. Make sure the garlic has been blended in. Taste and add more salt to your preference if needed.

Step 2: cook the pasta in well-seasoned water according to package instructions, then set aside to cool for a few minutes while you finish prepping the other elements. If the pasta is boiling hot when mixed, it will melt the cheese too much.

Related: Vegan Pesto Pizza

Step 3: add the tomatoes, avocado, and cheese or cheese alternative to the bowl with the pasta. Try to make the avocado dice about the same size as the halved tomatoes, cheese, and pasta so that you don’t have one element much larger or smaller than the other.

Step 4: mix with the pesto dressing, tossing well to coat everything evenly. It will be a bit messy so if you plan to serve on the table as part of a larger meal, I recommend transferring the salad to another serving dish if the appearance is important to you.

Expert Tips for the Best Pasta Salad

• Overcook the pasta: since pesto pasta salad can be served at room temperature, it’s best to overcook the pasta for a minute. That means when the dish is cooled the pasta will be exactly the right texture rather than hard and dry – which it will be if cooked to al dente. If you know you’ll be serving the pasta salad immediately while still warm, you can cook it as you usually would instead.
• Season well: pasta water should always be well-seasoned to start off with a tasty base. It’s difficult to fix under-seasoned pasta once it’s drained.
• Mix while warm: it’s a lot of pesto dressing, and that’s purposeful, because the warm pasta will soak some of it up. It also melts the cheese very slightly and makes the whole dish a little creamier.
• Don’t reduce the dressing: On the same note, don’t reduce the amount of oil in the dressing unless you want a dry salad.

More Pasta Salad Recipes

• Greek Pasta Salad – with cucumber, olives, feta, and tomatoes, this salad is ideal for easy summer meals.
• Chickpea Pasta Salad – with homemade balsamic vinaigrette, plenty of chickpeas, vegetables, and fresh parsley.
• Vegan Pasta Salad – ready in less than half an hour from start to finish, with homemade Italian dressing.
• Avocado Pasta Salad – with a creamy avocado yogurt sauce, dill, a little garlic, red onion, and fresh cherry tomatoes.