Pesto Pasta Salad

Pesto Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Cucumber, Mozzarella Cheese, and Pine Nuts takes only 15 minutes and makes a stunning appetizer, light meal, or even dinner! This crowd-pleasing side dish is perfect for sharing. Bring it to picnics, potlucks, BBQs, or parties. This simple and quick Italian-inspired pasta salad can be made with homemade basil pesto or store-bought pesto and is sure to become a family favorite.

Ingredients

Salad ingredients

8 oz farfalle bow-tie pasta or other short pasta

6 oz red cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, halved

6 oz yellow cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, halved

1 cucumber sliced

⅓ cup red onion diced

8 ounces small fresh mozzarella cheese balls "pearls"

⅓ cup pine nuts

Salad Dressing

¼ cup basil pesto or more, to taste (homemade or store-bought)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Cook pasta

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package instructions. Drain.

While the pasta is cooking, proceed with the rest of the recipe.

Assembly

In a large bowl, combine halved red and yellow cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced cucumber, diced red onion, and small fresh mozzarella cheese balls ("pearls"). Add cooked and drained pasta.

Add basil pesto and lemon juice to the salad and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Use more basil pesto and more lemon juice, if desired.

When serving, top with pine nuts.

Want to make basil pesto from scratch? Here is a super flavorful and creamy Homemade Basil Pesto Recipe that will work great in this recipe!