Description
Ina Garten’s pesto pasta salad brings fresh Mediterranean flavors to classic Italian cuisine. Simple ingredients blend seamlessly, creating a delightful dish perfect for summer gatherings and quick weeknight meals you’ll crave again and again.
Ingredients
Scale
- ¾ lb (340 g) fusilli pasta
- ¾ lb (340 g) bow tie pasta
- 5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
- 1 pack (10 oz/283 g) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and water squeezed out
- 1 ½ cups frozen peas, thawed
- 3 tbsps garlic, chopped (about 9 cloves)
- 1 ½ cups pesto (store-bought or homemade)
- 1 ¼ cups mayonnaise
- 1 ½ cups olive oil
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 tbsps lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- ⅓ cup pine nuts
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- ¼ cup walnuts
- ¾ tsp salt
- ¾ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Pasta Preparation: Fill large pot with salted water and bring to rolling boil. Submerge fusilli and bow-tie pasta, cooking until perfectly al dente. Drain thoroughly and transfer to expansive mixing bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, gently coating pasta strands and allowing to cool to room temperature.
- Pesto Creation: In food processor, combine fresh basil leaves, walnuts, pine nuts, and garlic. Pulse briefly to create textured base. Stream extra virgin olive oil while processing, integrating Parmesan cheese until sauce reaches smooth, vibrant consistency. Alternatively, combine pre-made pesto with drained spinach and lemon juice, blending until silky.
- Flavor Integration: Pour creamy pesto over cooled pasta. Introduce thawed green peas, toasted pine nuts, grated Parmesan, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Fold ingredients meticulously using robust utensil, ensuring uniform distribution and balanced flavor profile.
- Final Refinement: Taste and adjust seasoning, ensuring harmonious blend of nutty, herbal, and creamy elements. Transfer to serving dish, garnishing with additional pine nuts or fresh basil leaves if desired. Serve chilled or at ambient temperature for optimal taste experience.
Notes
- Pasta Perfection: Cook pasta separately to maintain ideal texture and prevent color bleeding, ensuring each type retains its unique shape and firmness.
- Pesto Pro Tip: Toast pine nuts beforehand to enhance their nutty flavor and create a deeper, more complex taste profile for the salad.
- Chilling Strategy: Allow pasta to cool completely before mixing with pesto to prevent sauce separation and maintain creamy consistency.
- Flavor Balancing: Taste and adjust seasoning gradually, adding salt and pepper incrementally to achieve a harmonious blend without overwhelming the delicate pesto notes.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Snacks
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 740
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 900 mg
- Fat: 64 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 50 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 52 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 14 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg