Recipe for Italian pasta salad with tomatoes and pesto

Today I have a great Recipe for Italian pasta saladwhich is super easy to make and tastes really delicious. The salad is made with a homemade pesto and is packed with fresh ingredients like rocket, tomatoes, peppers and mozzarella. The best thing about it: you only need 20 minutesto prepare it. So it’s perfect for spontaneous guests or as a side dish for barbecues. Let’s get started, I’ll show you how to do it.

Recipe for Italian pasta salad – The ingredients

I have this Italian pasta salad I have made it a few times. However, I haven’t had the time to write down the ingredients and take pictures of it. When I decided to make the salad again this morning, I knew it was time. Today I am sharing my Recipe for Italian pasta salad you.

The simple ingredients are available everywhere and if they are not available, they are easily replaceable:

• Pasta: short pasta, such as farfalle, fusilli or rotini
• Fresh vegetables: tomatoes, red and green peppers, red onions and rocket
• Mozzarella
• Olives
• Dressing: basil, cashews, garlic, olive oil and a little lemon juice
• Salt and pepper

The great thing about the Mediterranean pasta salad is that it is a little different every time. Sometimes the taste is stronger, sometimes it is a little milder. It’s up to you and your preferences. For example, swap the peppers for cucumber or add dried tomatoes. Everything is possible.

It’s that easy

This Italian pasta salad is perfect for parties or a quick lunch. You can prepare it fresh or the day before. It only takes 20 minutes and is not complicated at all. I’ll explain how to do it.

1. Cook the pasta until al dente. Drain, set aside and let cool.
2. Wash the vegetables and rocket.
3. Drain the rocket well.
4. Halve the tomatoes.
5. Cut the pepper, onion and mozzarella into small cubes.
6. Cut the olives into thin strips.
7. For the pesto, puree the basil, cashews, garlic, olive oil and a little lemon juice very finely. Season the dressing with salt and pepper.
8. In a large bowl, mix the cooled pasta with the vegetables, mozzarella, olives and dressing. Season everything with salt and pepper – done!

My tips for the perfect pasta salad

This is how the Pasta salad perfect:

• Don’t cook the pasta until it’s too soft, but until it’s nice and firm to the bite. This way, it won’t become mushy when you mix it with the dressing.
• Rinse the pasta, drain well and let it cool down a bit before mixing it with the other ingredients. Otherwise the salad will be too warm and the rocket will collapse.
• Cut the vegetables and mozzarella into small pieces. This makes the salad easier to eat.
• Only add the rocket to the salad shortly before serving so that it stays nice and fresh. If you leave it standing any longer, it will collapse.
• Roast the cashews in a pan without fat before using them; this will really bring out their flavour.
• For more variety, try different vegetables and condiments, such as capers or sardines.
• The pasta salad will keep in the fridge for about four days.

Goes well with pasta salad:

Make your own ciabatta with pre-dough at home

What goes with Italian pasta salad?

The salad is a great side dish for grilling. But also as light lunch or dinner it looks great. It goes well with:

• grilled fish
• Grilled meat
• Parma ham or salami
• Grilled vegetables
• Baguette or ciabatta

I hope my Recipe for Italian pasta salad You’ll enjoy it as much as I do! Have fun preparing it and let me know what you think. How do you prepare pasta salad? What do you eat with it? What other ideas and ingredients do you use? Write to me or leave a comment. I look forward to your ideas and feedback. Enjoy!

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