Pesto Pasta Salad
I’m a mother of three kids. So as a mom, I am always trying to figure out easy, yet tasty ways of getting my kids (AND myself) to eat more fresh vegetables. Often times that includes the conventional salad with lots of lettuce. That’s great and all, but in my constant crusade of getting in the greens, I’m always trying to unearth new ways to add verdant variety.
My kids, like most, have a preference, a proclivity, if you will, for pasta. I would lead you amiss if I didn’t admit my penchant for pasta as well. I have found the kids to be more excited about a dish when it contains pasta, and I’m sure many of you have found the same.
Last summer with the shackles of a schedule loosened, I rotated the kids through making a dinner every week (…that we were home). My son Joshua (9 years old) LOVES pesto, so having a pesto dish as his first dinner was not a surprise. I was his sous chef and helped him make his own dairy-free pesto from scratch. This soon became a family favorite that we’ve enjoyed several times since.
You don’t see a whole lot of pasta, do you? It’s there I tell you, but I loaded this pesto pasta salad with lots and lots of veggies, so loaded vegetable pesto pasta salad is unquestionably a better name for this dish. When my son makes it, you might guess that Joshua adds more pasta…and you are right! But I’m on dinner duty tonight, and loaded veggies it is.
One of the things I love most about this salad is that we make a huge bowl of it and just keep adding to the bowl for a few days for portable school lunches. I can really stretch it and keep incorporating more fresh vegetables, pesto, and yes, more pasta as needed. We’ll cook a pound of pasta and store half of it in the fridge for adding later. Our pesto pasta salad never looks the same because I use what I have in my fridge. Sometimes I’ll add carrots or cauliflower if I have it. We’ve added cubed cheese and meat too, but you can make it vegan. Feel free to experiment with the ingredients. The measurements really are flexible. I just love knowing that the base of the salad is already made makes it feel almost effortless to add and change it as we go.
Pesto Pasta Salad
This Pesto Pasta Salad is so tasty and easy to make!
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked pasta of choice like corkscrew or bow tie
- 1/4 cup pesto go here for a dairy-free pesto
- 1-2 cups spinach
- 1 1/2 cups broccoli chopped
- 1 bell pepper sliced or diced
- 1/2 cup whole cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 medium red onion sliced into rings
- 1/4 cup pepperoni salami, or meat of choice
- optional 1/4 cup cubed cheese of choice
Instructions
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Cook pasta according to package directions.
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While cooking pasta, cut, slice and dice vegetables as desired.
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In a large bowl toss pasta, pesto, meat and veggies until thoroughly combined. Taste and add more pesto or other ingredients as desired.
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Refrigerate leftovers for up to three days.
Recipe Notes
- If you are planning to eat on the salad for a few days, keep the bell pepper on the side.
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