A creamy pesto sauce turns this simple pasta salad into a delightful dinner. Adding broccoli to the pasta cooking water just before the pasta is done is a convenient way to briefly cook it so that it turns a vivid shade of green and softens slightly.

Pesto Pasta Salad

whole-wheat fusilli (about 3 cups)

broccoli florets

basil leaves

pine nuts, toasted

Parmesan cheese

mayonnaise

olive oil

lemon juice

garlic,

salt

½ teaspoon ground pepper

cherry tomatoes

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add fusilli and cook according to package directions. One minute before the pasta is done, stir in broccoli. Cook for 1 minute, then drain and rinse under cold running water to stop further cooking.


Meanwhile, place basil, pine nuts, Parmesan, mayonnaise, oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper in a mini food processor. Process until almost smooth. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the pasta and broccoli, along with tomatoes. Toss to coat.


Made this tonight and it was fantastic! I only cook for two so I reduced the portions a bit but I found that I needed to make the quantity of the pesto as listed to really coat everything. I doubled most of the spices and used pistachio nuts instead of pine nuts (all I had on hand). Instead of blending the nuts into the pesto I added it at the end with the cherry tomatoes to add a bit of texture to the dish. Topped it with feta cheese and some baked chicken: it was definitely a favourite! Will definitely make it again.

pesto pasta salad

Total: 20 minutes

Author : Carolyn Casner

Ingredients

Instructions

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