Pesto Pasta Salad with Peas, Pine Nuts & Mozzarella Pearls
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Zesty pesto, peas, pine nuts, and mozzarella pearls make a flavorful and pretty pasta salad.
Though pasta salad is a staple at every summer cookout, most of them are (forgive me) pretty bad. The usual formula—cold cooked pasta, raw vegetables, and an oil-and-vinegar salad dressing—just doesn’t work well. The key to making a delicious pasta salad is to replace the sharp vinaigrette with a rich and flavorful sauce.
In this pesto pasta salad, zesty pesto sauce mellowed and thickened with a little mayonnaise makes a lovely sauce. Peas and pesto go well together, so I add peas to both the sauce and the pasta. Crunchy toasted pine nuts and creamy mozzarella pearls fill the salad out. Go ahead and make all of the components of the salad a day ahead of time; just keep everything separate and toss together right before serving. The salad pairs well with grilled chicken or grilled flank steak.
What You’ll Need To Make Pesto Pasta Salad With Peas, Pine Nuts & Mozzarella Pearls
The best pasta to use for this salad is corkscrew-shaped fusilli, which has plenty of surface area and groves for capturing the pesto sauce. Rotini is another good option.
For the pesto, I use my go-to pesto recipe, which is in my fridge practically all summer long, but store-bought will work, too.
For the cheese, use imported Parmigiano-Reggiano from Italy; domestic Parmesan pales in comparison. You can always tell if it’s authentic by looking at the rind, which is embossed with the name over and over. If the cheese is already grated, it should be labeled “Parmigiano-Reggiano,” not “Parmesan.”
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by boiling the pasta in salted water. Be sure it is fully cooked, as pasta firms up at room temperature (you don’t want al dente-cooked pasta for pasta salad). Set aside to cool.
Next, toast the pine nuts in a skillet over medium heat until golden. Keep a close eye on them, as they burn quickly, and then transfer them to a plate as soon as they are cooked. If you leave them in the hot pan, they will continue to cook.
Next, make the pesto sauce. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, combine the pesto, lemon juice, and 1/2 cup of the peas.
Purée until smooth, then add the mayonnaise.
Process again until the sauce is smooth.
Toss the cooled pasta with the olive oil.
Add the pesto-pea mixture to the pasta, along with the Parmesan, 3/4 cup of the peas, 3 tablespoons of the pine nuts, the mozzarella, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
Mix well, then taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. (I usually add 1/4 teaspoon each more salt and pepper, but it will depend on the saltiness of the pesto you’re using and how heavily the pasta water was salted.) Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle the remaining peas, pine nuts, and basil over top. Serve at room temperature.
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Pesto Pasta Salad with Peas, Pine Nuts & Mozzarella Pearls
Zesty pesto, peas, pine nuts, and mozzarella pearls make a flavorful and pretty pasta salad.
Ingredients
- 1 pound fusilli pasta
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup homemade or store-bought pesto
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, from 1 lemon
- 1½ cups frozen peas, defrosted, divided
- ¾ cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann's or Duke's
- ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- ⅓ cup pine nuts, toasted (see note)
- One 8-oz package mozzarella pearls
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil, for serving
Instructions
- Cook the fusilli in a large pot of boiling salted water until fully cooked, 10 to 12 minutes (you don't want al dente pasta here). Drain and toss into a bowl with the olive oil. Cool to room temperature.
- In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, purée the pesto, lemon juice, and ½ cup of the peas. Add the mayonnaise and purée until smooth.
- Add the pesto-pea mixture to the cooled pasta, along with the Parmesan, ¾ cup of the peas, 3 tablespoons of the pine nuts, the mozzarella, the salt, and the pepper. Mix well, then taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. (I usually add ¼ teaspoon each more salt and pepper, but it will depend on the saltiness of the pesto you're using and how heavily the pasta water was salted.) Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle the remaining peas, pine nuts, and basil over top. Serve at room temperature.
- Note: To toast the pine nuts, place them in a small dry skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until golden. Watch the nuts carefully, as they can burn quickly, and transfer them to small bowl immediately after cooking (they will continue to brown in the hot pan).
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The components of this pasta salad can be made ahead a day ahead of time; just keep everything separate and toss together right before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (10 servings)
- Calories: 544
- Fat: 36 g
- Saturated fat: 8 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Sugar: 3 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Sodium: 591 mg
- Cholesterol: 29 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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My basil is growing beautifully so I welcomed the chance to make pesto from Jenn’s recipe. I used almonds instead of pine nuts. Made this salad today with a bit of a tweak. I omitted the mozzarella and used shrimp to turn this into a main course. Made extra pasta, peas and dressing to use as a side to BBQ chicken. Great recipe because the core mixture can be used with other proteins.
I always reach for your recipes when expecting hungry guests whether from your book or website.
However, I found this recipe a little bit confusing. It would be better if the ingredients for the pea pesto were listed separately in case someone wants to use different pesto (my favourite is basil pesto from Costco) and skip this step.
So, I prepared ahead all ingredients before making the salad, only to find out later that I will not need lemon juice, mayonnaise and 1/2 cup of peas. Thought that adding the peas pesto on the top of basil one would be too much.
Anna
Anna – I think you didn’t totally understand – you take whatever pesto you like (homemade or store bought – I also like Costco’s pesto and I use it here) and put it in your food processor with the peas, lemon juice, and mayo (I reduce down to 1/2 cup of mayo) to create the dressing for the pasta. The additions to the pesto turn it into a really yummy dressing that tastes amazing at room temp like she suggests but also right out of the fridge as a cold side to anything or over a fresh bed of salad greens. try it again and see what you think!
Once again a really good recipe from you! I have made more of your recipes than any other blog. Yours are timeless, simple but always delicious. Thank you.
I loved the recipe but it doesn’t print out well from my iPhone. Other recipes, not a problem.
Will this keep in the fridge over a weekend?
Hi Sarah, The components of this pasta salad can be made ahead a day ahead of time; just keep everything separate and toss together right before serving. You may be able to push it to 2 days.
Hi Jen – could orzo be substituted for the pasta?
Hi Jackie, I think I’d prefer it with a larger pasta, but orzo will work. Please LMK how it turns out if you make it!
Looks amazing 👍👍👍can I add chick peas and some chilli infused oil into it without ruining it ?
Sure, Mark, that should be fine. Hope you enjoy!
Delicious recipe! I often turn to Jenn and Once Upon a Chef for tasty dishes to make for family or for an event. This pesto pasta dish was simple to make and looked amazing. Full of flavor, and just the right amount of texture, it was not too salty or bland. I followed your recipe exactly except for one small addition. Since it was close to Halloween, I topped with a handful of orangey-red cherry tomatoes for a pop of color. Several people commented on the dish and asked for the recipe. Thanks again!!
I have made this for several parties and ALWAYS get asked by tons of people for the recipe. It’s delicious!
Another winner! I added some leftover chicken and cherry tomatoes and we had it as a main course. Delicious – love your recipes!
This is delish as usual with your recipes! I made the entire recipe…didn’t look at the servings…and it’s just two of us. Any chance this would freeze?
I don’t think this is the best candidate for freezing, but if it’s going to go to waste otherwise, I think it’s worth a try. If you do freeze it, I’d love to hear how it is once you thaw it!