pesto salad
30 Minute Meals, Healthy, Pasta

QUICK HOMEMADE BASIL PESTO PASTA SALAD

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This fresh, summer basil pesto pasta salad is a go-to dish on a hot day. It’s cooked pasta tossed with homemade pesto, crispy bacon, olives, sun-dried tomatoes and corn. So tasty and it comes together in under 20 minutes! This pasta salad is simple to toss together, super flavourful, filling, and pretty healthy too. Serve for lunch and store the leftovers for the next day.

Pesto pasta is something that never disappoints. You really can’t go wrong, especially when it’s homemade pesto. Sure jarred pesto is okay at a pinch, but homemade with fresh basil, garlic, lemon and toasted pine nuts is always better.

pesto salad

So how does it come together…

It’s so quick and easy, this basil pesto pasta salad can be ready and on the table in just 20 minutes. We start with the easiest part, cooking the pasta. For a pasta salad I like to slightly undercook it so it doesn’t break up too much when you’re tossing it with everything else. Once cooked, place in the fridge to cool.

The crispy bacon is what takes this dish to another level. Of course if you’re vegetarian you can totally leave it out though! Before cooking the bacon, quickly toast some pine nuts for a couple minutes. Then dice up some shortcut bacon and fry in the same pan until crispy. To save time, throw in the corn cob as well until it’s nice and golden.

The pesto is also super simple. Just blend everything together to form a sauce, saving some of the pine nuts to serve whole. If it’s too thick, add a small splash of water until you get your desired consistency. Then simply toss everything together and you’re done!

You can eat this warm or chilled, but given that it’s summer in Australia and very hot, I find it more refreshing chilled.

Side note: don’t you just love the funky shape pasta I chose!

pesto salad

Looking for other healthy pasta options? Here’s some ideas:

Lastly, if you make this Quick Homemade Basil Pesto Pasta Salad, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love to hear from you guys. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!

QUICK HOMEMADE BASIL PESTO PASTA SALAD
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QUICK HOMEMADE BASIL PESTO PASTA SALAD

Course: LunchDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Total time

20

minutes

Ingredients

  • 500g pasta

  • 6 rashers bacon, diced

  • 1 cup kalamata olives

  • 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped

  • 2 cups chopped cos lettuce

  • 1 corn cob

  • Homemade Pesto

  • 1 cup basil

  • 1 cup spinach

  • 1/4 cup pine nuts

  • 1/4 cup olive oil

  • 2 cloves garlic

  • juice of half a lemon

  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan

Directions

  • Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente. Let the pasta cool down in the fridge.
  • While that’s cooking, in a separate pan toast the pine nuts for a couple of minutes. Remove from the pan and fry off the bacon. In that same pan add the corn cob and cook until it turns golden.
  • In a NutriBullet or food processor blend the pesto ingredients until a smooth sauce. Add a splash of water if it’s too thick.
  • Toss the pasta with the pesto, bacon, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, lettuce and corn. Serve either warm or chilled.

Notes

  • Store in the fridge as meal prep for up to 4 days.

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