Go Back
–+ servings
A glass bowl with pesto pasta salad and sautéed tomatoes.
Print Pin
5 from 3 votes

Creamy Pesto Pasta Salad

Make Creamy Pesto Pasta Salad for your next backyard barbecue! This simple pasta salad combines cooked pasta, sautéed cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and a creamy pesto sauce. So delicious and full of flavor!
Course Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine American, Italian
Keyword creamy pesto pasta salad
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Calories 392kcal
Author Sue Ringsdorf

Ingredients

  • 1 pound orecchiette pasta - cooked
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes - halved
  • 8 oz. pearl mozzarella
  • 3/4 cup pesto sauce - or more
  • shaved parmesan cheese, extra black pepper, and fresh basil - to serve
  • extra pesto sauce - to serve

Instructions

  • Make pesto. Use my Homemade Basil Pesto Sauce recipe to make your pesto. I recommend making a large batch, if you have the ingredients, and freezing some for later.
    3/4 cup pesto sauce
  • Cook pasta. Cook your pasta according to package directions. Use plenty of salt in the water because that’s the best time to add flavor. Strain the pasta and keep a little bit of pasta water in case you need it to thin the sauce. Let cool.
    1 pound orecchiette pasta
  • Sauté tomatoes. Heat up a skillet over medium-high heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil and then add the halved tomatoes, cooking to soften. You should see some juices release as well, and they’ll be used in the salad. Let the tomatoes cool.
    2 cups cherry tomatoes
  • Combine ingredients. In a salad bowl, combine the cooked pasta, the sautéed tomatoes, the pearl mozzarella, and the pesto sauce. Stir to combine. Add some pasta water if needed to thin the pesto sauce a bit.
    8 oz. pearl mozzarella
  • Serve. Serve pasta salad with shaved parmesan cheese, extra freshly ground black pepper, fresh basil, and extra pesto sauce, as desired.
    shaved parmesan cheese, extra black pepper, and fresh basil, extra pesto sauce

Notes

Pro-Tip #1: Buy your pine nuts at Trader Joe's (if available to you). Such a great deal, because as you may know, pine nuts can break the bank.
Pro-Tip #2: Always save some pasta water. You never know when you'll need it when you're making any pasta recipe. Trust me!
 

Nutrition

Calories: 392kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 403mg | Potassium: 229mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 843IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 197mg | Iron: 1mg