This pesto pasta salad recipe is super summery and fresh! Vibrant basil pesto (preferably homemade) coats curly noodles, shaved zucchini, and crunchy pine nuts. Lemon juice peps it up, and whole basil leaves intensify the herbaceous flavor. Like most pasta salads, this pesto pasta salad is a great dish to make ahead for potlucks and picnics. But we enjoy it so much that I also like to serve it as a weeknight dinner! On a hot summer night, it’s a refreshing alternative to traditional pesto pasta. Plus, made with pesto AND basil leaves, it helps me take advantage of the basil plants that I often have growing in my garden. I hope you’ll try this recipe this summer! Keep reading to find my best tips and tricks for making it…along with a few fun ways to change it up. 🙂
Pesto Pasta Salad Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this pesto pasta salad recipe:
Pasta, of course! I recommend choosing a fun, curly pasta shape. We love cellentani, but fusilli would be good too. Basil pesto – It creates a lightly creamy, flavorful dressing for the pasta salad. See the callout below for my tips for making homemade pesto or subbing store-bought. Zucchini and summer squash – You’ll be adding them to the salad raw, so make sure to slice them really thinly. I recommend using a mandoline if you have one. Lemon juice – It makes the salad nice and bright. Toasted pine nuts – For crunch. Fresh basil leaves – They’re a pretty finishing touch for this pesto pasta salad, and they add an extra punch of basil flavor. And salt and pepper – To make all the flavors pop!
If you like, you can add a pinch of red pepper flakes for a hint of spice. Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Pulse together pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Add fresh basil and pulse to combine. Then, with the motor running, drizzle in olive oil to form a vibrant pesto sauce.
For measurements and detailed step-by-step instructions, see my pesto recipe. Note that for this pesto pasta salad, I like to use more oil than I normally would, 1/2 cup instead of 1/4. It helps the pesto maintain a lightly creamy texture once it coats the noodles. Feel free to use store-bought pesto if you prefer. You’ll need roughly 1 cup to dress the salad.
How to Make Pesto Pasta Salad
To make this pesto pasta salad, you’ll start by cooking the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water.
Make sure to cook it a little past al dente so that it doesn’t harden as it cools. And before you drain it, reserve 3/4 cup of the starchy, salty pasta cooking water. It’s a key ingredient in this recipe—it helps the pesto coat the noodles and veggies, creating a rich, lightly creamy pesto sauce for the salad.
After you drain the pasta, toss it with a little olive oil and spread it on a large baking sheet to cool. Allow the reserved pasta water to cool too.
When the pasta is cool, add it to a large bowl with the pesto, zucchini, squash, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Last but not least, add the reserved pasta water and toss to combine. Season to taste and top with the pine nuts, basil, and a pinch of red pepper flakes, if you like. Enjoy!
Storage
This pesto pasta salad recipe keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. I love to make it ahead for potlucks and picnics in the summertime. And when I make it for dinner, I always hope to have leftovers. They’re delicious for lunch the next day!
More Favorite Summer Salads
If you love this pesto pasta salad, try one of these summer salad recipes next:
Easy Pasta Salad Orzo Salad Cherry Tomato Couscous Salad Macaroni Salad Greek Salad Best Broccoli Salad
What more summer salad inspo? Check out our 51 Best Salad Recipes!
