A recipe for an easy, flavourful pasta salad with red pesto, fresh tomatoes, rocket and mozzarella.
Once the pasta is cooked, it takes under 5 minutes to throw together, and it tastes so good.
I use a red pesto made from sun-dried tomatoes — I love the flavour of sun-dried tomatoes, and it goes really well with the other ingredients. But use whichever one you prefer.
Pasta salad with red pesto can be served as a side at a classic barbecue, with chicken, salmon, pork or steak; it actually goes nicely with most things.
Should there be any leftovers, they are perfect for a packed lunch — ideally with a piece of pan-fried chicken or roasted chickpeas on top.
Pasta salad with red pesto, tomatoes and mozzarella
Ingredients
- 250 g pasta (uncooked weight)
- 200 g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 70 g rocket (or spinach)
- 150 g mini mozzarella balls
- 30 g pine nuts, ideally toasted in a dry frying pan
- 150 g red pesto, ideally made from sun-dried tomatoes
- Freshly ground pepper
Method
- Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, then rinse it in plenty of cold water. Leave the pasta to drain in a sieve.
- Mix the pasta and pesto, then fold the tomatoes, rocket, mozzarella balls and pine nuts into the salad.*Save a few pine nuts for the top, if you like.
- Transfer the pasta salad to a salad bowl and top with freshly ground pepper.
Nutrition
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