This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This easy Pesto Pasta Salad is filled with the most flavorful combination of zesty pesto, pasta, sweet cherry tomatoes, cucumber, mozzarella cheese pearls, and kalamata olives. Ready in less than 30 minutes, it’s the perfect side dish for picnics, parties, and potlucks.
Cold Pesto Pasta Salad
Cold pasta salads are my go-to come summertime, and this pesto pasta salad one of my favorites. Loaded with super fresh and simple ingredients, from sliced cucumbers to cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, parmesan cheese, and mozzarella balls all tossed in yummy pesto sauce. It’s the perfect meatless side dish or main dish with grilled chicken, fish, or shrimp.
Key Ingredients
Find the printable recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
- Pasta: I used rotini, but any bite-size pasta will work. Favorites include fusilli, rotini, farfalle, and shells.
- Basil Pesto: Feel free to use your favorite store-bought pesto or make homemade basil pesto.
- Cheese: This recipe includes freshly grated parmesan cheese and fresh mozzarella cheese balls called “bocconcini.” Sometimes, I’ll add crumbled feta for a little tangy finish.
- Veggies: In this case, you’ll find sweet cherry tomatoes and sliced cucumbers. Feel free to substitute with other veggies, or add more.
- Kalamata Olives: The olives add a nice briny contrast to the richness of the pesto.
Optional Additions:
- Protein: Grilled chicken, rotisserie chicken, fresh or canned salmon, and chickpeas.
- Veggies: Fresh arugula or baby spinach, roasted eggplant, bell peppers, zucchini, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, heart of palm, red onion, and capers.
- Cheese: Crumbled feta cheese.
How to Make Pesto Pasta Salad
1. Cook and Cool the Pasta: Boil the pasta according to package directions in a large pot of boiling salted water. The pasta should be cooked until tender – not mushy or al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water until the pasta has cooled completely, then drizzle with 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, toss to coat, and set aside.
2. Toss the Pesto with the Salad Additions: Mix the basil pesto, ½ cup of the parmesan cheese, garlic, and black pepper together in a large bowl. Add the tomatoes, cucumber, mozzarella balls, and olives and gently toss to coat.
3. Add in the Cooked Pasta and Chill: Stir in the cooked pasta. Cover with plastic wrap or a tight-fitting lid and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
4. Garnish and Serve: Remove from the refrigerator and toss before serving. Garnish with the remaining ½ cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese and fresh basil, if desired.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Choose the Right Pasta: Pick a pasta with nooks and crannies to catch and hold the pesto. Favorites include fusilli, rotini, bowtie, and shells.
- Salt Your Pasta Water: Your pasta water should taste like the sea. Seasoning the pasta water itself is your chance to season the pasta as it cooks.
- Reserve Some Pasta Water: Set aside about a cup of the pasta cooking water before draining the pasta. Use the starchy, salty water to adjust the consistency of your pesto, making it more sauce-like if it’s too thick.
- Cool the Pasta Before Mixing: After draining and rinsing with cold water, toss with a little olive oil to prevent the pasta from sticking together. You can also cool your pasta down faster by spreading it out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (this also prevents the pasta from sticking together.
Storage
Transfer leftover pesto pasta salad to an airtight container and place in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days. Stir before serving the leftovers, as the oil from the pesto may have settled in the corners of the dish. If the leftovers seem a bit dry, drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil or a spoonful of fresh pesto, if desired.
Can you freeze pesto pasta salad? Freezing pesto pasta salad is not recommended as the pasta can become mushy, and the fresh ingredients can lose their texture and flavor upon thawing.
More Pasta Salad Recipes
- Spinach Pasta Salad Recipe with Strawberries
- Autumn Apple Pasta Salad Recipe with Poppyseed Dressing
- Italian Pasta Salad
- Asian Pasta Salad
- Tortellini Pasta Salad
- Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
- Macaroni Salad
If you try making this Easy Pesto Pasta Salad Recipe, please leave me a comment and let me know! I always love to hear your thoughts.
Easy Pesto Pasta Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 ounces rotini pasta
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 6.5 ounces basil pesto, store-bought or homemade
- ¾ cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated, divided
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon Ground black pepper
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved lengthwise
- 1 (8-ounce) package mozzarella cheese pearls
- ½ cup kalamata olives, halved lengthwise
- fresh basil, to garnish
Instructions
- Boil the pasta according to package directions in a large pot of boiling salted water. Drain and rinse with cold water until the pasta has cooled completely, then drizzle with 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, toss to coat, and set aside.
- Mix the pesto, ½ cup of the parmesan cheese, garlic, and black pepper together in a large bowl. Add the tomatoes, cucumber, mozzarella, and olives and gently toss to coat.
- Stir in the cooked pasta. Cover with plastic wrap or a tight-fitting lid and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the refrigerator and toss before serving. Garnish with the remaining ½ cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese and fresh basil, if desired.
Notes
- Leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. Freezing is not recommended.
- Optional additions: Artichoke hearts, charred grilled corn, feta cheese, red onion, fresh arugula, sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, chicken, or chickpeas.
- Check out my homemade pesto recipe.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
