Creamy Pesto Pasta Salad
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Amazing for spring and summer, this Creamy Pesto Pasta Salad is a refreshing take on the classic side dish! Packed with tender pasta, creamy pesto flavor, and fresh ingredients, this easy recipe is perfect for picnics, cookouts, potlucks, and busy weeknight dinners. If you love chilled pasta salads, be sure to try my Greek Tortellini Pasta Salad too!
This dish is a great option for a pasta salad that's packed with bright, herbal flavor! Just like my Southwestern Chicken Pasta Salad and my Mexican Ham Pasta Salad, this side dish recipe is easy to make and incredibly satisfying.
Quick Look: Pesto Pasta Salad Recipe
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🕒 Total Time: 30 minutes
- 👨👩👧👦 Servings: 6
- 📊 Calories: ~415 kcal per serving
- 🥣 Ingredients: pasta, pesto, mayo, olive oil, artichoke hearts, black olives, grape tomatoes, cucumber, salt, pepper, feta cheese
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy, great for picnics and barbecues.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Simple to Make: With just a handful of ingredients, you can quickly throw this pasta salad together for any occasion.
Flavorful and Fresh: Creamy pesto sauce and perfectly cooked pasta come together for satisfying flavor in every bite.
Versatile Recipe: Serve this as a delicious side dish or top with your favorite protein to turn it into a main course!
For even more amazing pasta salad variations, try my Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad or this Grinder Pasta Salad!
Ingredients Needed
- Rotini Pasta: You can use another kind of short-cut pasta if you prefer, but I like the way rotini is able to hold more of the pesto dressing.
- Pesto Sauce: Use your favorite storebought version or make a homemade pesto!
- Mayonnaise: Helps create a creamy dressing.
- Artichoke Hearts: Canned or jarred works here.
- Black Olives: Another kind of olives can be used, but I like the flavor of black olives in this dish.
- Feta Cheese: Adds a salty and cheesy flavor that balances out the pesto sauce and produce.
How to Make this Creamy Pesto Pasta Salad
- Step 1: Boil water and cook the pasta to al dente according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Step 2: In a separate bowl, whisk together pesto, olive oil, and mayonnaise.
- Step 3: Pour the creamy pesto dressing into a large bowl with cooked pasta and fold until combined.
- Step 4: Mix in artichokes, tomato, cucumber, olives, and feta crumbles. Chill your creamy pasta salad and serve!
Recipe Tips
- Rotini is my go-to for this dish, but you could also use penne, farfalle, cavatappi, fusilli, or any other short-cut pasta you like!
- If you want to make your own basil pesto, all you need is fresh basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese or Pecorino cheese. Blend in a food processor or blender until combined.
- When picking up store-bought pesto, choose one from the cold section rather than a canned or jarred option. The cold, fresh pesto will be higher quality and better flavor.
- Feel free to leave out some of the mix-ins to customize the flavor of this dish to your liking.
Recipe FAQ's
Sometimes ingredients like the tomatoes, cucumber, and artichoke can add extra moisture to the dish. Drain off any excess liquid, and if you still have a liquid result, try draining the produce on a paper towel-lined plate before adding to the pasta salad.
Pasta salad is great to serve with classic barbecue fare like burgers and hot dogs! It also works as an easy, anytime side dish to pair with your favorite main courses.
Transfer leftover pasta salad to an airtight container and store in the fridge for 2 to 3 days or so. If you want to prevent sogginess and you know you'll be saving some, wait to add the dressing until later on.
I don't recommend freezing pasta salad leftovers; the texture and flavors may alter after freezing and thawing. Enjoy fresh or within the first couple of days.
More Pasta Salad Recipes
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Creamy Pesto Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces rotini pasta You'll need about 3 cups of dried
- 1 cup pesto sauce see notes
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 (8.5 ounce) can artichoke hearts
- 1 cup black olives halved
- 1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes halved
- 1 small cucumber diced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup feta cheese
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Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add in the pasta and cook until al dente, drain and rinse under cold water, and set aside.
- In a small bowl, add the pesto, mayonnaise, olive oil and whisk until combined.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the cooked pasta, and 1/2 of the pest mixture and stir until the pasta is coated.
- Add in the artichoke hearts, olives, tomatoes, and cucumbers, and feta cheese, followed by the remaining pesto mixture, and stir until everything is coated.
- Chill until ready to serve!
Notes
- Any short-cut pasta will work.
- Get the pesto from the cold section, it's much better than getting it from the aisle.
