Pasta Salad with Pesto

Summer Pesto and Pasta: Chapter Two

Inspiration

This is the second summer recipe with pasta and pesto as key ingredients. I am always searching for a summer salad to serve when grilling. When potato salad is too heavy and another green salad is not substantial enough I often make Pasta Salad with Pesto with lots of veggies. Preparing the salad for dinner can be done earlier in the day and then I have time to make dessert! Gotta leave time for important things in life, like dessert. And I should mention, any leftover salad is usually gone the next day.

Essentials

This salad is best when served at room temperature. Fresh vegetables are used for maximum flavor and add a crunchy texture. The total amount of vegetables is flexible. I quickly blanch those that would be too crunchy raw, then add to the salad. Using rotini for this salad insures that the pesto and cheese coats the pasta and also clings to the inside of the rotini swirls. Pesto and cheese coated pasta, we could stop cooking right there but with veggies it’s even better. After making this salad many, many times I’ve come to the conclusion that both Parmesan and Pecorino Romano cheese and homemade pesto are vital to achieving the right balance of flavors to make this a stellar pasta salad. This salad’s ingredients stay evenly mixed throughout. This is not a salad with dressing pooled at the bottom of the bowl. You know what I’m talking about: the salad that you thoroughly tossed but doesn’t have enough dressing until you reach the bottom of the bowl where you find way too much.

1. Prepare the pasta: Cook the rotini according to the package directions. Remove the cooked pasta from the boiling water and drain. (For less dirty dishes, reuse the pan to blanch the vegetables, step 2.) Thoroughly mix the just drained, hot pasta together with the pesto in a large bowl. This will keep the pasta from sticking together and infuse the pasta with the pesto flavors. When the pasta cools slightly, but is still warm, mix in the grated cheeses. The cheese should not melt, but adhere to the rotini covered pesto. Coating the rotini in pesto and cheese while still warm is key to elevating this salad from mundane to great.
2. Prepare the vegetables: Blanch carrots, asparagus and zucchini in a pot of boiling water until tender but still crisp and firm. Do not overcook. Take special care with the zucchini. I add the carrots first, boil for 2 minutes, then add the asparagus, boil another minute and last zucchini, for one more minute. My times are estimated, adjust cooking time to the vegetable sizes you are using. Immediately drain and put into ice water to stop the cooking process and retain the vegetables vibrant colors. Mix well drained, cooled vegetables, diced red pepper, sliced celery, diced onion, and defrosted peas into the pasta with pesto and cheese. Add salt and pepper and more cheese to taste.
3. To Serve: Transfer salad to a large serving bowl. Garnish with a sprinkle of cheese and fresh basil.

This salad travels well. It can be made up to a day ahead, although I like it best freshly made, at room temperature. Click here for the homemade pesto recipe.