Pesto Pasta Salad

Summertime is when my basil plants are in their prime. The tiny plant I buried in the Spring has now grown at least 10 times its original size, tempting me to use it in all manor of dishes. I put it into salads and lasagna, use it to dress chicken, and here I’ve used it to create a bright and fresh pasta salad. Rather than making actual pesto though (who has the time?!), in this recipe for Pesto Pasta Salad, the pesto ingredients are used on their own to bring the same flavor profile, but without all of the grinding and mess to clean up. The result is a hearty and flavorful pasta salad that is filling on its own, or a great addition to any meal.

Pesto Pasta Salad

Ingredients

  • ~2/3 box bow tie noodles
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, cut into strips or bit sized pieces
  • 1 cup marinated artichoke hearts drained and quartered. Reserve liquid.
  • 1/2 cup Castelvetrano olives, halved
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • zest and juice from 1 lemon
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Prepare bowtie noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
  2. Heat 1 Tb olive oil in a small frying pan on medium-low heat. Add pine nuts and toast until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid burning. Remove from pan and set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, combine lemon juice, garlic, 1/4 cup reserved liquid from the artichoke hearts, and remaining olive oil. Beat with a fork to combine.
  4. Add artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, olives, and toasted pine nuts. Toss with dressing to coat.
  5. Add handfuls of the cooked noodles, stirring as you go to ensure each noodle is coated with the dressing. NOTE: Incorporate additional artichoke liquid, olive oil, and/or lemon juice as desired to taste, or if noodles are drying out.
  6. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix in cheese and basil. NOTE: Noodles and pine nuts muse be cooled before this step to ensure the cheese doesn’t melt, or the basil leaves wilt from the heat.
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Brienne Reverendo
Brienne was born and raised in NJ. After earning her bachelors degree in engineering at Cornell University, she moved to Houston where she began an 18 year career working for NASA. Brienne is proud of the work she did there for the International Space Station Program, managing life support systems, negotiating international partnerships, and helping researchers conduct experiments in the orbiting laboratory. Not everyone can say they’ve made space toilet bowls, or put mice on the space station, but she’s proud to have been a part of both! As inspiring as that workplace was, Brienne decided to leave NASA when her son was born, choosing to be a stay at home mom for her two kids. Motherhood has been an amazing adventure, and she has used her time with her kids to deep dive into Houston. Together they’ve made missions out of finding fountains, investigating parks, playgrounds, and splash pads all around town, and of course, seeking out the best ice cream. When she’s not shuttling her kids around, Brienne is usually cooking (or finding new recipes to cook!), feeding the sourdough, researching new parts of Houston to explore, or planning the next family vacation. She loves traveling, eating good food, and most of all, the sound of her kids laughing as they embark on a new experience.

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