We recently went to a Field Day for my husband’s work during which we stuffed our faces with grilled chicken sandwiches, potato chips and a delicious pesto pasta salad. My husband fell in love with the salad at first bite and immediately turned to me and said that I absolutely had to recreate it at home.I was determined to make this tasty dish as similar to the “real deal” as possible but I also wanted to toss into the mix a little of my flare to really kick the flavors up a notch.
With all of the fresh Basil in my backyard, I got to work preparing my Fresh Basil Pesto. With just a few more ingredients I was able to replicate the delicious Pesto Pasta Salad that we had at the Field Day.
The pasta salad was a huge hit not only in my home but also at a Memorial Day barbeque. Even though it made a large amount of pasta salad, it was devoured in no time.
Pesto Pasta Salad
Ingredients:
- 1 lb box of Gemelli
- Fresh Basil Pesto
- 1 cup sliced grape tomatoes
- 1 cup peeled and quartered cucumber
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Cook Gemelli according to directions on package; drain and rinse with cold water. Transfer to a serving bowl.
- Add the remaining ingredients into a serving bowl and toss until the pasta is coated with the pesto and the other ingredients are mixed thoroughly.
- Place in refrigerator and cover, allowing the flavors to blend until ready to serve.
What’s your favorite type of pasta salad to eat during the warm summer months?
I LOVE pesto and pasta, I can practically taste your recipe just looking at it :)
Your salad looks so refreshing and perfect for any warm Summer day!
Yum, what a great combo! I'll keep it in mind for this weekend. :-)
I love gemelli, love pesto, and love simple pastas. This looks like a homerun to me!
Jen, I love the tomatoes and cucumbers in here and your photo is so pretty. Pesto pasta salad is one of our mainstay dishes, usually with crumbled Italian sausage, red peppers and some sort of green veggie, such as asparagus. It is our traditional meal on the first night of camping (travels well) and my husband's carbo-load dish the night before a marathon.
Perfect summer salad. I love pesto!
I love pesto and I love gemelli pasta!
Pesto may be one of my favorite things in the world. And I adore it in pasta salad. This looks delicious. Great recipe.
I love pesto and I love gemelli pasta!
Jemima
Project Management Software
Pesto is one of my weaknesses…I could eat it with a spoon…this would never make it to the dinner table… :)
Hi Jen, This salad looks so yummy. If I decide to buy pesto ( I know, cringe) how much would I use for this recipe?