Monday, July 20, 2009

Pesto Pasta Salad

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A few weekends ago we went to my friend Jennifer's wedding, Congrats Jen and Brian! At the cocktail hour we had a yummy pasta salad that was dressed in a pesto sauce but had sundried tomatoes and olives in it. Steve and I couldn't remember what else was in it so I threw in some fresh mozzarella. This was a huge hit at our July 4th bbq. I had a feeling it would be because it was good enough to recreate! As usual when I'm making something for an event of some kind I forgot to take photos in a pretty dish so you guys will have to use your imaginations or just make the recipe and see it for yourself!

Pesto Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

1 pound farfalle pasta
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and sliced
1 cup kalamata olives, sliced
1 8oz. ball of fresh mozzarella, diced
Pesto sauce, see below for recipe (If you like, add some of the oil from the sundried tomatoes to the pesto in place of some of the extra virgin olive oil.)


Directions:

Cook pasta in boiled salted water and drain. Toss with some oil from the sundried tomatoes. (You can stop here and do this the day before or a few hours before and let cool.)

Toss pasta with pesto, sundried tomatoes, olives and mozzarella. Refrigerate and Serve cold.

Pesto Sauce:

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh basil leaves, tightly packed
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup parsley
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup pinoli nuts
½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese (I always use Locatelli Romano)
½ tsp. salt

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a blender and whirl until a thick uniform paste is formed, add more oil if paste is too thick. This amount is enough for 1 lb pasta. Pesto may be stored in refrigerator for several weeks or in the freezer for several months. Place in a jar or container and coat with a thin layer of olive oil, cover tightly.

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12 comments:

Lyndas recipe box said...

This sounds so delicious-I love pasta salad and this one has great ingredients!Love those sun-dried tomatoesand fresh basil!

Dionne said...

I LOVE Pesto, and paired with sundried tomatoes sounds awesome. A definite must-try!

Shane T. Wingerd said...

MMMMMM Yum, another delicious thing for me to do with pesto. Thanks for recreating and sharing this one Michele. :)

Anonymous said...

Oh I have to make this. It sounds so fresh and summery and I need to use my basil before my plants bite the dust LOL

Patti T. said...

I can hardly wait to make this, what a great recipe for this time of year. I know my family will love it!

Heather S-G said...

Yum, this sounds so fresh and tasty! I love pasta salads that don't include mayo (I mean, I like mayo...just not in my pasta salads). :)

Bob said...

Sundried tomato and pesto are a great combo. This looks fantastic, next time I need pasta salad I'm definitely using this!

Unknown said...

LOVE IT!! anything pesto is right up my alley. You always give me such great ideas for the company potlucks. We have one next week and I think I know what I'm making ;)

La Bella Cooks said...

Pasta salad is perfect for summer but pesto always puts it over the top for me. I love these kinds of salads.

Jen said...

This looks delicious! With those ingredients, how could it not be?

Michele said...

Thanks everyone! I had no idea this one would be such a hit! I made another pesto yesterday...with chick peas. Don't want you guys to get sick of pesto so I'll wait a while before posting it!

Dajana said...

It's a great combo. I never made it as pasta salad, though.