Pesto Pasta Salad
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Category
Salad
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Cusine
American
What do you need?
How to make?
Ingredients
4 cups uncooked fusili pasta
1 cup fresh basil pesto
2 tablespoons chopped green olives, or olive tapenade
1/3 cup pine nuts
1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
12 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
Several fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Directions
Cook pasta according to instructions on the package. Make sure the water is salted . Remove pasta from heat and strain when pasta is cooked, but still firm .
While the pasta is cooking, toast the pine nuts in a small pan over medium-high heat. Keep an eye on them because pine nuts can go from lovely and toasty to acrid and burnt in seconds.
When most of the nuts have a blush of golden brown on them, move them to a cool bowl to rest. They will burn if you leave them in the pan.
Put pasta in a big bowl. Mix in fresh basil pesto, green olives, and pine nuts. Gently mix in cherry tomatoes, peas, fresh basil leaves and olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste.
Serve at room temperature.