Pasta Salad with Homemade Pesto
A homemade pesto pasta salad from Spoonsparrow is perfect to prepare in advance and ideal for the office or as a bring‑along at grill parties.
Ingredients
- 600 g whole‑grain pasta (e.g., penne)
- Salt
- 500 g tomatoes
- 500 g small cucumber (1 small cucumber)
- 4 sprigs flat‑leaf parsley
- 4 sprigs basil
- 4 tbsp pine nuts
- 100 g Parmesan (block)
- 1 lemon
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 100 ml Vegetable broth
- black pepper
Instructions
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1.
Cook pasta in plenty of boiling salted water according to package instructions until al dente.
-
2.
Meanwhile, wash the tomatoes, cut off the stem ends and dice them.
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3.
Wash the cucumber thoroughly, dry it, slice it lengthwise, remove seeds with a teaspoon, and dice.
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4.
Rinse parsley and basil, shake off excess water, pluck leaves and roughly chop.
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5.
Toast pine nuts in a non‑stick pan until golden brown. Transfer to a plate and let cool slightly.
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6.
Grate Parmesan; halve the lemon and squeeze out juice.
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7.
Drain pasta and set aside, reserving about 200 ml of cooking water.
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8.
In a tall bowl combine pine nuts, olive oil, broth, grated Parmesan, herbs, and 4 tbsp reserved pasta water. Blend with an immersion blender until creamy. Add more pasta water if needed to reach desired consistency. Season with salt, pepper, and 1–2 tbsp lemon juice.
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9.
Place pasta in a large bowl. Mix in tomatoes, cucumber, pesto, and additional reserved pasta water if desired. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and remaining lemon juice. Serve warm or at room temperature.
