Pesto Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Mozzarella
September 24th, 2016 in Salads, Sides by Julia Volhina
I’ve tried this salad on a cookout organized by our friends and fell in love with it (and of course had to make sure I have a recipe for it to share).
I don’t even know why this dish made of cooled cooked pasta, black olives, tomatoes and fresh mozzarella tossed with pesto and grated parmesan is called a salad, but let’s go with it.
Of course freshly made basil pesto sauce is the best choice for dressing here (and it doesn’t really take much time to make if you wish to try). But one from a store works as well.
I know pasta salads are not a first choice for people who are trying to cut down the amount of carbs they consume but it surely is delicious. Well, one can opt for a whole grain pasta to make it seem a bit better. And if you look at it from the point of view of the game? Let’s just take and try to introduce gaming principles into this topic, as the developers of online games successfully do.
Next time you need to bring something to a cookout or a get-together, why not to try this recipe?
Ingredients:
- 8oz (a half of 1lb pack) of any pasta you like
- 1/3 cup of shredded parmesan cheese
- 8oz of grape tomatoes
- 6oz of fresh mozzarella (cherry size balls or other)
- 2oz of pitted black olives
- 3 tablespoons of pesto sauce
- Salt to taste
How to prepare, step-by-step:
-
Prepare ingredients:
Pesto Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Mozzarella: Step 1 -
Bring a pot with salted water to boil, cook pasta over slow simmer until ready (follow instructions on the package if needed); then drain water and set pasta aside to cool down to room temperature:
Pesto Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Mozzarella: Step 2 -
Slice black olives and add them to the bowl as well:
Pesto Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Mozzarella: Step 3 -
If using cherry size mozzarella balls, slice each in half; if using other type of mozzarella, slice it into half cherry size pieces, add to the bowl:
Pesto Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Mozzarella: Step 4 -
Slice each grape tomato in half:
Pesto Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Mozzarella: Step 5 -
Pour shredded parmesan in:
Pesto Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Mozzarella: Step 6 -
Mix everything:
Pesto Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Mozzarella: Step 7 -
And salt to taste:
Pesto Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Mozzarella: Step 8 -
Add pesto sauce:
Pesto Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Mozzarella: Step 9 -
Mix the salad, cover it with a lid or food plastic and put to fridge for 30 mins to settle down:
Pesto Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Mozzarella: Step 10 -
Serve decorated with basil leaves if you feel like it:
Pesto Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Mozzarella
