Giada's Pesto Pasta Salad

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Herby pesto pairs brilliantly with sweet tangy roasted tomatoes and salty bits of feta cheese. Throw it all together with some pasta and zucchini and you might even get your kids to eat their vegetables!

To make things even easier, you can use storebought pesto, like my favorite from Bio Orto, in place of the homemade version.

Pesto Pasta Salad

Photo Credit: Lizzy Newman

Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users

Servings

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

30 minutes

Ingredients

For the Tomatoes and Zucchini:

2 (10 ounce) containers cherry tomatoes, halved
3 medium zucchini, quartered, seeds removed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
4 sprigs basil
4 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
3 tablespoons olive oil

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1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon Calabrian chili paste, or red pepper flakes

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For the Dressing:

Use your favorite store-bought pesto such as Bio Orto, or make from scratch. Recipe follows:
2 1/2 cups packed basil leaves
1 cup Italian parsley leaves
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

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1 small clove garlic
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

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3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

For the Salad:

1 pound short pasta, such as Strozzapreti or Caserecce, cooked, drained and cooled to room temperature*
1 (7 ounce) block feta cheese, crumbled, about 2 cups

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
On a rimmed baking sheet combine the tomatoes, zucchini, basil sprigs, garlic, olive oil, salt and chili paste. Toss well to coat evenly. Roast the vegetables for until soft and beginning to brown, about 30 minutes, stirring halfway through. Set aside to cool. Remove and discard the basil sprigs and whole garlic.
For the pesto, in the bowl of a food processor combine the basil, parsley, pine nuts and garlic. Puree until roughly chopped. With the motor running drizzle in the olive and salt. Pour the pesto into a bowl and stir in the parmesan cheese.
To the pesto add the cooked and cooled pasta and the cooled vegetables. Stir to evenly coat the pasta in the pesto. Add 1/4 cup of pasta water thin the dressing if needed. Stir in the crumbled feta and serve.
*Cook’s note: Cook the pasta 2 minutes less than suggested on the package directions, about 9 minutes. Reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water, then strain the pasta and spread it on a rimmed baking sheet to cool to room temperature. Do not rinse the pasta.

Nutrition

Nutrition Serving Size: 6
per serving: Calories; 780

Amount/Serving % Daily Value

Carbs: 69 grams
Protein: 23 grams
Fat: 47 grams
Saturated Fat: 10 grams
Cholestrol: 21 milligrams
Sodium: 923 milligrams
Fiber: 6 grams
Sugar: 9 grams

vegetarian

3 comments

Orangecat - Aug 14

Great salad. roasting the tomatoes & zucchini brings out the freshness in the dish. Made my own basil pesto, used ‘flavor bomb’ tomatoes. Taking it to a party tonight.
The Giadzy Team - Oct 17

Hi Kim, the vegetables are roasted at 450 degrees Fahrenheit!
Kat - Oct 17

At what temperature do I roast vegetables?