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Creamy Pesto Pasta Salad

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This Creamy Pesto Pasta Salad is full of tomatoes, artichokes, peas, and topped with a creamy pesto sauce! It’s sure to be a BBQ favorite!

This Creamy Pesto Pasta Salad is full of tomatoes, artichokes, peas, and topped with a creamy pesto sauce! It's sure to be a BBQ favorite!Over Memorial Day weekend we hosted a BBQ, and I knew this Creamy Pesto Pasta Salad would be perfect for occasion.  Since I was a little girl, I’ve always loved pasta salad in the summer.  My mom used to make it all the time, and she would throw in whatever veggies we had on hand or in the garden; It was always so good!  I’ve been trying to grow a couple herbs and veggies this year, so I thought I could make use of my basil plant and make some savory homemade pesto.  This Creamy Pesto Pasta Salad is the perfect BBQ side dish!

This Creamy Pesto Pasta Salad is full of tomatoes, artichokes, peas, and topped with a creamy pesto sauce! It's sure to be a BBQ favorite!I adore anything with pesto, so this creamy pesto pasta salad was no brainer for me.  One thing I realized while grocery shopping though, is that pine nuts you need to make pesto are crazy expensive!  I’ve heard Costco carries a large bag for a reasonable price, but you could also make your pesto with a different type of nut…walnuts, almonds…etc. If you want to take a shortcut, just buy a jar of premade pesto – easy peasy!

This Creamy Pesto Pasta Salad is full of tomatoes, artichokes, peas, and topped with a creamy pesto sauce! It's sure to be a BBQ favorite!

The creamy pesto pasta salad is full of juicy cherry tomatoes, artichoke, green peas, and of course pesto.  If you don’t like a certain component in this salad, you can always substitute it with something else; That’s the thing with pasta salad, you can pretty much throw whatever you want into it, and it will turn out delicious!

This Creamy Pesto Pasta Salad is full of tomatoes, artichokes, peas, and topped with a creamy pesto sauce! It's sure to be a BBQ favorite!

  • Use a stock pot to cook your pasta, then mix everything in the big pot – it will make mixing SO much easier!
  • Serve this creamy pesto pasta salad during potlucks, holiday BBQs or for dinner. For more protein add some shredded chicken!
  • This pasta salad only gets better with time! I recommend making it the night before you need it, then letting it chill overnight in the fridge. All the flavors meld together and make it super tasty!
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    Creamy Pesto Pasta Salad
    Ingredients
    • 1 lb pasta I like rigatoni or a small circular pasta
    • 1 cup homemade or store bought pesto
    • 1/3 cup mayonnaise
    • 1 cup frozen sweet peas
    • 16 ounces artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed, and chopped roughly
    • 1 cup cherry tomatoes cut into halves
    • 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
    Instructions

    1. Cook pasta el dente according to directions, drain and set aside in a large bowl.

    2. In a small bowl mix pesto sauce and mayonnaise together and set aside.

    3. With the pasta, add peas, artichokes, and tomatoes.  Pour pesto mixture over the top and toss to mix and coat evenly. 

    4. Allow the salad to cool in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes before serving, up to overnight.

    5. Garnish with additional cheese and fresh basil if desired. Serve and enjoy!

    Like easy BBQ recipes as much as I do?! Check out these other recipes from Domestic Superhero:

    Mexican Street Corn Salad

    Creamy BLT Pasta Salad

    Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta with Whipped Basil Feta Dip

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    – Allyson

    This Creamy Pesto Pasta Salad is full of tomatoes, artichokes, peas, and topped with a creamy pesto sauce! It's sure to be a BBQ favorite!

     

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    • Jessica! It’s so easy!! Literally a handful of fresh basil leaves, a couple TBS of grated Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup pine nuts, and a couple cloves of garlic. Put it all in the food processor and mix, then stream some Extra Virgin olive oil into the processor to get right consistency..probably 1/4 cup or so. Done! This is essentially what you are going for, https://domesticsuperhero.com/2012/08/27/arugula-lemon-pesto/ but it’s done with arugula and almonds instead of typical basil/pine nuts

      Reply

  6. YUM! This looks really good & thanks for the nice complement. <3 😀
    I'll have to try your version-soon!

    Reply

  17. I love this recipe. Have used it at BBQs 3 times now, and each time it was a great success. It’s really easy and can be prepped in advance. I roasted the cherry tomatoes in the oven for 20 mins before throwing in the salad though to add a bit more flavour.

    Reply

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