The Best Pesto Pasta Salad

This is the best and easiest Pesto Pasta Salad ever. This high-protein pesto pasta salad is made with cooked fusilli pasta, romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, corn kernels, kidney beans, avocado, cooked chicken, and pesto sauce. This easy cold Pesto Pasta Salad recipe creates a healthy salad that takes about 30 minutes to prepare and can serve up to 4 people.

Pesto Pasta Salad Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked fusilli pasta
• 1 cup chopped romaine lettuce
• 1 cup diced cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup diced cucumbers
• 1 cup drained corn kernels
• 1 cup rinsed and drained kidney beans
• 1 cup diced avocado
• 1 cup cooked and cubed chicken
• 1 cup pesto sauce, homemade or store-bought

How To Make The Best Pesto Pasta Salad

1. Prepare the Pasta: Cook fusilli pasta according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside to cool.
2. Cook the Chicken: Dice the chicken breasts into cubes. Heat a little olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken cubes and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are thoroughly cooked and no longer pink inside, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
3. Mix the Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooled pasta, romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, avocado, cooled chicken, and kidney beans. Toss gently to mix.
4. Add the Pesto: Pour the pesto sauce over the pasta mixture. Stir well to ensure all the ingredients are evenly coated with the pesto.
5. Serve: Serve immediately or keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Recipe Tips

1. Cook Pasta Right: Make sure the pasta is cooked just right, not too soft. This keeps it nice in the salad.
2. Cut Chicken Well: Cut the chicken into same size pieces so they cook the same and mix well in the salad.
3. Mix Sauce Well: Stir the pesto sauce well with the pasta and veggies so everything tastes great.
4. No Need to Season: You don’t need to add extra seasoning like salt, pepper, or garlic powder to the salad because the pesto sauce already has all the seasonings you need. 
5. Cool Salad: If you can, let the salad sit in the fridge for a little while before you eat it. It tastes better this way.

What To Serve With This Pesto Pasta Salad

This Pesto Pasta salad goes well with a slice of crispy bread like baguette or No Knead Focaccia. You can also serve it as a side with tomato soup or chicken stew.

How To Store Leftover Pesto Pasta Salad

• In the Fridge: Put your leftover Pesto Pasta Salad in a container that closes tightly and keep it in the fridge. It will be good for 3 to 4 days. Mix it well before you eat it again because the sauce might settle at the bottom.
• In the Freezer: It’s not a good idea to freeze Pesto Pasta Salad. Freezing can make the pasta and veggies soft and soggy when you thaw them, and they won’t taste as good.

Pesto Pasta Salad Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 cup (about 240g)

• Calories: 380
• Total Fat: 17g
• Saturated Fat: 3g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Cholesterol: 35mg
• Sodium: 430mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 41g
• Dietary Fiber: 7g
• Sugars: 3g
• Protein: 18g

Try More Salad Recipes:

• Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
• Bow Tie Pasta Salad
• Caesar Salad
• Wild Rice Salad
• Crab Salad
• Cucumber Salad

The Best Pesto Pasta Salad

Author: Hamdi Saidani Cuisine:American, Italian Courses:Salads Recipe Keys: P Pesto Pasta Salad Recipe

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 15 minutesCook time: 10 minutesRest time: 5 minutesTotal time: 30 minutesServings:4 servingsCalories:380 kcal Best Season:Suitable throughout the year

Description

This is the best and easiest Pesto Pasta Salad ever. This high-protein pesto pasta salad is made with cooked fusilli pasta, romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, corn kernels, kidney beans, avocado, cooked chicken, and pesto sauce. This easy cold Pesto Pasta Salad recipe creates a healthy salad that takes about 30 minutes to prepare and can serve up to 4 people.

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked fusilli pasta
• 1 cup chopped romaine lettuce
• 1 cup diced cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup diced cucumbers
• 1 cup drained corn kernels
• 1 cup rinsed and drained kidney beans
• 1 cup diced avocado
• 1 cup cooked and cubed chicken
• 1 cup pesto sauce, homemade or store-bought

Instructions

1. Prepare the Pasta: Cook fusilli pasta according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside to cool.
2. Cook the Chicken: Dice the chicken breasts into cubes. Heat a little olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken cubes and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are thoroughly cooked and no longer pink inside, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
3. Mix the Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooled pasta, romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, avocado, cooled chicken, and kidney beans. Toss gently to mix.
4. Add the Pesto: Pour the pesto sauce over the pasta mixture. Stir well to ensure all the ingredients are evenly coated with the pesto.
5. Serve: Serve immediately or keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Notes

• Cook Pasta Right: Make sure the pasta is cooked just right, not too soft. This keeps it nice in the salad.
• Cut Chicken Well: Cut the chicken into same size pieces so they cook the same and mix well in the salad.
• Mix Sauce Well: Stir the pesto sauce well with the pasta and veggies so everything tastes great.
• No Need to Season: You don’t need to add extra seasoning like salt, pepper, or garlic powder to the salad because the pesto sauce already has all the seasonings you need. 
• Cool Salad: If you can, let the salad sit in the fridge for a little while before you eat it. It tastes better this way.

Keywords:Easy Pesto Pasta Salad, Italian Pesto Pasta Salad