Sometimes you just don’t know what to make….a salad or a side dish, why not make this Pesto Pasta Salad with Sundried Tomatoes and have both.
This is one of the classic “is it a salad or is it a side” and the answers is well, anything you like. It’s a great dish as you can whip this up in no time and actually have salad ingredients in your pantry. This Pesto style pasta dish can be made with jarred pesto and sun dried tomatoes or you can also make this with fresh home made pesto and sundried tomatoes from the local deli or supermarket.
I put this dish in the simple recipes department for sure. If you love pasta salads then you might also like to try out Green Goddess Pasta Salad or our Mexican Pasta Salad with Lime Vinaigrette.
This pasta salad with pesto and sundried tomatoes recipe is one we were taught from our son. So impressed with it’s ease of cooking….(well very little actually) that it’s been a quick time saver go-to in our home.
Why You’ll Love This Pesto Pasta Salad Recipe
Because it only has 4 ingredients! Yep my kind of recipe and will go into the easy recipes group for sure. It’s one of those dishes that you can have the ingredients in the pantry waiting to be made into a magic dish. From dried pasta, a jar of pesto and also a jar of sundried tomatoes if you don’t have the fresh, then from the grocery store and delicatessen is totally fine.
Recipe Ingredients
4 ingredients is all you need to make this amazing creamy Pesto Pasta Salad with Sundried tomatoes.
Pasta – You can’t go wrong with spiral pasta. My go too for pasta dishes. You can use short cut pasta of any type to make this pesto pasta recipe.
Pesto – Jarred pesto is the easy way to go and makes for a super quick dish. Once you’ve found the right brand you can never go wrong. Some brands can have variations like added with pistachios, gluten and dairy free and with cheese variations which do make a difference in taste.
Semi Sundried Tomato’s – love the semi dried ones from the deli at the supermarket. Wunderbar!
Shaved Parmesan – optional but parmesan cheese does make it nice.
Ingredient Notes
Pesto – we love to make our own pesto sauce (recipe here for basil pesto ) to make this dish as we often have a massive amount of basil growing in the yard. Sometimes we like to mix it up with basil and parsley or our 5 minute Spinach Pesto which gives it a greener look.
Gluten Free – If you want to swap this into a recipe gluten-free version feel free to swap out normal pasta for gluten free.
How to make Pesto Sun-dried Tomato Pasta Salad STEP BY STEP
There’s’ not a lot of steps which is great.
- Boil the past according to the packet directions. Drain in a strainer when cooked and pop into a bow.
2. Roughly chop the sundried tomatoes so they are nice bitesize pieces. While the pasta is still warm, add the sun dried tomatoes with the jar of pesto and gently combine.
3. When ready to serve add a few slithers of shaved parmesan or grated parmesan on top.
Recipe Tips
Sun-dried Tomatoes in a jar – If using the sundried tomatoes from the jar, choose a brand that has nice soft style or semi dried version. Sometimes the jarred tomatoes can be on the hard side. Once you find the brand you love you can have these on hand all the time.
Pasta – feel free to change up the type of pasta shapes but keep them to the shorter styles like bows, spiral pasta, curly, penne, farfalle pasta etc. Cook till al dente as the pasta will absorb the pesto dressing and oil.
Storage and Reheating
Store in an airtight container in the fridge. If you have some sundried tomato pesto pasta salad left. (that probs never happen….just saying) allow a bit of time for the salad to reach room temperature after taking out of the fridge and give it a good stir before serving. You may need to add a little olive oil to loosen up the pasta salad again as the sauce often gets absorbed by the pasta.
Additions and Substitutions
The list here can be endless:
Chicken – for ease a shop bought roast chicken broken and shredded is super quick and easy. Chicken breast are easy to shred.
Toppings – fresh cherry tomatoes, blanched sweet peas, sunflower seeds and fresh basil add texture, colour and taste.
Fetta – crumbled on top for a bit of prettiness.
Pine nuts – a bit of texture and those little lovelies will make this sundried tomato pesto salad a winner.
Fresh Basil – just a couple of leaves for added zing and beauty.
FAQ BLOCK
Can I make this pesto pasta salad the day before?
You can but I do prefer it made on the day. The salad can become stiff when stored in the fridge. Have all the ingredients ready on hand and boil the pasta before making. Most packaged pasta will only take 8-10 mins to cook.
Can I use sun-dried tomatoes form the jar?
By all means yes! This is a cheats style pasta salad recipe. The ideas is to have all the ingredients on hand in the pantry ready to go. Jared pesto works great and if using sundried tomatoes from the jar I like to find the ones that aren’t too hard or leathery. Semi dried tomatoes are just yum if you can get them too.
Can I use fresh tomatoes?
By all means yes! Fresh give a lightness to the dish. Cut into bitesize pieces make the perfect addition.
I don’t have Basil pesto so can I use sun-dried tomato pesto?
Yes for sure. Maybe add something like fresh basil leaves as a great way to lighten the strong flavor.
Feeling like salad? Grab the 12 Summer Salads with 7 Ingredients or less free recipe book. Download it here now!
Download it here now! Or click on the image below.
Rate the recipe
I hope you love this Pesto Pasta Salad with Sundried Tomatoes. If you make it, be sure to leave a rating so I know how you liked it!
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 500 gm pasta
- 180 gm pesto from a jar or use homemade if you like
- 250 gm semi sun dried tomatoes drained and chopped
- shaved parmesan (optional) to sprinkle on top
Instructions
- Boil the pasta according to the packet directions. Drain and pop into a bowl.
- Add the jar of pesto and and mix through.
- Add the sundried tomatoes and mix through the salad. (you can add a little of the olive oil they were in if needed if you think the salad is a little on the dry side.
- Served with shaved parmesan and a few sprigs of fresh basil if you like.
