Pesto pasta salad

Name: Pesto pasta salad
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: European, Italian, Mediterranean
Ingredients: 350g / 12oz spiral pasta ((fusilli, or other of choice, 3 1/2 cups)); 1 tbsp salt (, for cooking pasta); 2 tbsp pinenuts (, toasted (sub walnuts, cashews, almonds)); 2 cups (tightly packed) basil leaves; 1 small garlic clove (, minced); 1/2 cup parmesan (, finely grated); 1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt; 1/4 tsp black pepper; 7 tbsp extra virgin olive oil ((or 50/50 grapeseed/olive oil)); 2 tbsp mayonnaise ((S&W, else Hellman's, Note 2)); 250g (1 heaped cup) cherry tomatoes, cut in half; 220g/ 7 oz baby bocconcini (, drained, cut in half (Note 3)); 1 cup (tightly packed) baby rocket/arugula leaves (40g); Small basil leaves (, optional garnish)

Instructions

Prep:15minCook:15min

Recipe video above. Don't skimp on pesto, and don't be shy with olive oil. If you do, you'll end up staring at a mound of flavour-lacking, dry pesto pasta salad, thinking "darn it, I should have just followed the recipe!".PS Just 2 tablespoons of mayo is the secret here. Just gives an edge of creaminess without weighing it down, plus significantly improves the quality of next-day leftovers - prevents it from drying out.TIP: Homemade pesto obviously rules here, but if you need to resort to store-bought, get it from the fridge rather than aisle. It's better.

Pesto pasta salad

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Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

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