This Pesto Pasta Salad is such a vibrant, delicious dish packed with flavour. I feel like this salad screams warm weather, summer BBQ’s and eating outdoors. Pasta Salad is a perfect side to make for a party or pot luck because it’s always a crowd pleaser, pretty economical and can be made ahead of time. Ticking all of the boxes! It also makes great meal prep for work or school lunches – especially if you add some grilled chicken for extra protein.
When I think of pasta salad in general, what comes to mind first is the creamy pre-packaged supermarket kind. I’m not a pasta salad snob, and will definitely demolish some of that on occasion. But this version is my own personal favourite. In fact, writing this post is making me hungry all over again!
It has homemade pesto, fresh cherry tomatoes, crispy bacon, creamy bocconcini and baby spinach. When you get a little bit of everything in one bite, it’s so delicious. The flavours are inspired by Caprese Salad. It’s a classic for a reason – these flavours work so well. This salad tastes really fresh, not heavy with too much oil or mayonnaise.
Here’s what you’ll need to make Pesto Pasta Salad
Pasta – When making pasta salad, I like Spiral pasta aka Fusilli, Curls or Elbows. These pasta shapes are fun to eat and hold onto the sauce perfectly. But of course, use what you like the best or what you have on hand. When making pasta salad, you will want to cook your pasta a little over al dente. Really! Pasta will naturally harden slightly as it cools, so to have the best salad at room temperature, cook the pasta a little more than you regularly would. You could also substitute a different type of pasta such as gluten free or high fibre/high protein to cater for any alternate dietary needs.
Bacon – I love some crispy fried diced bacon in this salad. Sausage, chicken, salami or prosciutto would also work well here. However, if you’d like a vegetarian salad, just simply leave out the bacon and continue with the rest of the steps as written below.
Cherry Tomatoes – I just love cherry tomatoes and pesto together so I had to add a generous amount to this salad. I love getting the colourful varieties but this is optional. Cut them in half or quarters, depending on their size.
Bocconcini – Baby or cherry bocconcini is perfect in this recipe. Little pearls of fresh mozzarella add creaminess and amp up the Caprese vibe this Pesto Pasta Salad has going on. If you can’t find the smaller bocconcini you can tear or cut up the standard larger ball. Or break open a ball of burrata in the middle as you serve it! Crumbled feta could be a good substitution but it will change the flavour profile.
Baby Spinach and Basil – I love adding some greens for freshness and extra basil to round out the flavour. You can use rocket instead if you like. It will give a slightly peppery taste that would work beautifully in the salad too.
Pesto – Call me crazy if you want, but I’ve never liked store bought pesto (oh hey Susi!) But really though, homemade pesto is at least 500% better. Especially using fresh home grown basil from the garden. Pesto is actually really easy to make in the food processor or blender. I have a recipe for it below that I’ve been making on repeat for more than a decade. However, if you don’t have time to make it yourself, use a high quality store-bought version. I’d estimate starting with 1 cup and adding more if you like.
Mayonnaise – My secret in this recipe is to mix the pesto with a couple of tablespoons of good quality mayo. It really helps to give a touch of creaminess and help the pesto coat the pasta nicely so it doesn’t all stick together.
Other Additions – This recipe is pretty flexible. If you want to add other mix ins, feel free! I’ve used some red capsicum in the past for colour and crunch and it was delish. Other ideas are finely diced red onion, olives, chickpeas, sliced or diced cucumber. You could switch out the fresh cherry tomatoes for sun-dried or add in some marinated artichoke. Adapt the veggie mix ins the way you like it!
There are two ways to easily make this salad ahead of time. You can prep all of your ingredients separately and mix it together at the last minute, making sure to bring your pasta back up to room temperature. Or you can mix it together and store in an airtight container or covered well with plastic wrap until ready to serve. If the pesto is left exposed to air for too long it starts to lose its vibrant green colour so do make sure it’s covered well until you’re ready to use it. You can halve or double the quantities in this recipe, depending on how many people you need to cater for.
The first time I made this Pesto Pasta Salad, I brought it along to a casual BBQ with my cousins. It was a smash hit with everyone there! When I made it a second time to take these photos, I ate it for lunch for the next couple of days and it held up beautifully. The added mayonnaise helped to keep it creamy and definitely not dry. I prefer to eat this pasta salad at room temperature or very slightly warm. I hope you enjoy this recipe!
Related Post: Easy Salami Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes and Burrata
Pesto Pasta Salad
This Pesto Pasta Salad is the perfect crowd-pleasing side dish for summer BBQ's and pot lucks, but is also great for lunch or meal prep. It has homemade pesto, fresh cherry tomatoes, crispy bacon, creamy bocconcini and baby spinach. When you get a little bit of everything in one bite, it’s so delicious!
Ingredients
Pesto
- 1 cup basil
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 cloves OR 1 heaped tsp minced garlic
- Salt and pepper
- 2 heaped tablespoons mayonnaise
- 500 g spirals
- 250 g bacon, diced
- 300 g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 220 g cherry bocconcini, halved
- Big handful baby spinach
- Extra fresh basil, to serve
- Balsamic glaze, optional, to serve
Instructions
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To make the pesto, please the basil, pine nuts, parmesan, olive oil and garlic into a food processor and pulse to combine until mostly smooth. Season to taste. Stir through the mayonnaise and set aside,
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Boil the pasta in a large pot of salted water until just over al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside to cool slightly.
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Fry the bacon in a frying pan until crisp. Drain on paper towel and set aside.
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To assemble the salad, you will want all of your bacon and pasta to be cooled slightly or at room temperature. Combine pasta, cherry tomatoes, bacon, bocconcini and pesto in a large bowl and stir well so that all ingredients are coated in the pesto. Add the baby spinach and toss again to evenly distribute through the salad.
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Transfer to a serving bowl and top with fresh basil and a drizzle of balsamic glaze, if you like. This salad can be made up to 1 day ahead. Store in an air-tight container or covered with plastic wrap until ready to serve. Bring back up to room temperature before serving for the best flavour and texture.