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Pesto Pasta Salad
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5 from 1 vote

Pesto Pasta Salad

pesto pasta salad with fresh basil pesto, spiral pasta, Cashew nuts, peas, and cherry tomatoes. fresh, flavorful, and the whole thing can be put together in 20 minutes.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: Pesto Pasta Salad
Servings: 4
Calories: 975kcal
Author: Luda huang

Equipment

  • bowl

Ingredients

  • 3 cups uncooked fusilli pasta
  • 1 cup frozen peas defrosted (or fresh if you can get them)
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup fresh basil pesto
  • 1/4 cup Cashew nuts
  • 12 ounces cherry tomatoes halved
  • Several fresh basil leaves coarsely chopped
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 tablespoon chopped parsley plus more for garnish

Instructions

  • Cook the pasta in salted water according to package directions.
  • Drain the pasta and run cold water over the pasta to cool it down.
  • While the pasta is cooking, toast the Cashew nuts in a small pan over medium-high heat. Keep an eye on them because pine nuts can go from lovely and toasty to acrid and burnt in seconds.
  • Mix pasta with pesto, Cashew nuts, tomatoes, basil, olive oil: Put pasta in a big bowl. Mix in fresh basil pesto. Gently mix in cherry tomatoes, peas, fresh basil leaves, and olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste.
  • Serve, topped with parsley for garnish.

Nutrition

Calories: 975kcal | Carbohydrates: 82g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 3152mg | Potassium: 782mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 3476IU | Vitamin C: 41mg | Calcium: 192mg | Iron: 7mg