This Pesto Pasta Salad comes together in under 30 minutes it’s the perfect non-standard “little more fancy” recipe for the BBQ season.
About this Recipe
This non-standard “litte more fancy” recipe for my Pesto Pasta Salad recipe is coming up just in time for the end of the BBQ season. It’s my favourite pasta salad and I’ve been making it for the past 10 years (so it’s been tested by the crowd!). Actually, we’re having it later today as we’re meeting up for the (probably) last BBQ of this year.
Ingredients for Pesto Pasta Salad
For this recipe, you will need more ingredients than usual (see recipe ingredients below!). Don’t stress out, they’re all pretty standard so you probably won’t even need to go grocery shopping to make this special salad. As for the pesto, I usually use my homemade Classic Red Pesto but you could also use a store-bought sun-dried tomatoes pesto.
Also, you might have noticed that this is one of the rare non-vegetarian recipes on the blog (one of the few that I make on a regular basis!). Having said that – if you prefer – you can easily make it vegetarian by omitting the prosciutto.
How to make Pesto Pasta Salad
Basically, all you need to do is (1) mix all the salad ingredients, (2) mix all the dressing ingredients, (3) combine the salad and dressing ingredients, and (4) let the Pesto Pasta Salad rest for at least 2 hours for the flavours to set.
How to serve Pesto Pasta Salad
This Pesto Pasta salad is absolutely perfect for the BBQ season (just saying!) when you want to bring something non-standard and a little more fancy to the table. It’s a definite crowd-pleaser (promise!). Enjoy!
More Cooking Inspiration
If you prefer your salad to be more on the healthy side, check out my Simple Green Salad with Sweet Balsamic Vinaigrette.
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Pesto Pasta Salad
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 8.5 cups Farfalle Pasta cooked
- 5 cups rocket salad
- 1 cup parmesan freshly grated
- 1 cup Buffalo mozzarella finely chopped
- 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup pine nuts roasted
- 100 g proscuitto roughly chopped
Dressing Ingredients
- 1 cup Classic Red Pesto
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 3 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper freshly grated
- 1 garlic clove
Instructions
- Combine all "salad ingredients" and mix well.
- Combine all "dressing ingredients" and mix well.
- Add the dressing to the salad and mix well.
- Adjust salt and pepper to liking.
- Let salad rest for at least 2 hours for flavours to set.
- Enjoy your homemade Pesto Pasta Salad.
Nutrition

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