• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Life
  • Parenting
  • Natural Living
  • Travel
  • Fitness
  • Book
    • Anti-Inflammatory Drinks for Health
    • I Love My Instant Pot Anti-Inflammatory Recipes
  • Resource Library
    • Get a Password

Happy Healthy Mama

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
Home » Recipes » Salad Recipes » Pesto Pasta Salad (New Video)

Last updated on June 22, 2019. Originally posted on June 22, 2019 By Maryea / 8 Comments

Pesto Pasta Salad (New Video)

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
28306shares
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
Pasta salad CAN be healthy! This Pesto Pasta Salad recipe is one of the easiest pasta salads you will ever make and it’s full of flavor.

pesto-pasta-salad

Last week I woke up with a stiff, painful neck. You know the feeling, right? You feel like Frankenstein because you can’t move your head independent of the rest of your body. It was to the point that I could barely function because it hurt to move, pick anything up, or even rest in a comfortable position.

I had a Groupon for a massage I’d purchased a few months ago, so I made an appointment hoping it would help. The massage therapist asked a lot of questions trying to get to the root cause of my pain. I told her I was a blogger and sat at my computer a lot.

This led to questions about my blog and into diet and lifestyle. She casually asked, “What do you think of the Paleo diet? I’ve been thinking about trying it.”

I told her my opinion, which is the same as just about every diet you might consider. For the average person, I don’t think it’s wise to cut out entire food groups. Yes, for health reasons certain individuals do thrive on grain-free diets. Some health conditions require low-carb living. Do I think that’s the way everyone should eat because of that? No. If you like grains, they can be a part of your diet in a balanced, healthful way. They provide nutrients. Like anything, you can overdo it and eat too many. pesto-pasta-salad

But do you really want to live a life without pasta? I don’t. We can balance it out with spaghetti squash and zoodles, but a life without pasta? No, thanks.

Pasta salads don’t have the best reputation, but you can definitely make a healthy pasta salad. For this pesto pasta salad, I kept it simple. I used a whole grain pasta, and instead of a bottled salad dressing like you often see, I used my Spinach Basil Pesto. It’s full of flavor and the spinach component adds a powerful vegetable to the dish. pesto-pasta-salad

Halved grape tomatoes finish the salad. It’s super easy to make and versatile as well. Need a dinner side? Check. Main course? It can do that, too.  Potluck salad? Yep. Lunch for days? YES.

pesto-pasta-salad

For the record, the massage did help my neck immensely, but five days later it’s still sore. Lots and lots of anti-inflammatory foods are being consumed over here. Along with this Pesto Pasta Salad. #sorrynotsorry

How to Make Easy Pesto Pasta Salad

Print

Pesto Pasta Salad

pesto-pasta-salad

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

This easy Pesto Pasta Salad is a healthy pasta salad that is FULL of flavor!

  • Author: Healthy Happy Mama
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 10 mins
  • Total Time: 20 mins
  • Yield: 8 1x
  • Category: side dish

Ingredients

Scale
  • 13.25 ounces whole grain fusilli pasta
  • 1/2 cup spinach basil pesto, homemade (recipe link above) or store bought
  • 10 ounces grape tomatoes, halved
  • 5 basil leaves, chiffonade (cut into long strips)-optional

Instructions

  1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions and allow it to cool.
  2. Stir the pesto into the pasta.
  3. Add the grape tomatoes.
  4. If desired, top with the basil strips for garnish.
  5. Enjoy!

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 serving
  • Calories: 347
  • Sugar: 2.5g
  • Sodium: 333mg
  • Fat: 17.8g
  • Saturated Fat: 0.1g
  • Carbohydrates: 38.3g
  • Fiber: 2.7g
  • Protein: 9.5g
  • Cholesterol: 5.1mg

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @https://www.instagram.com/happyhealthymama/ on Instagram and hashtag it #happyhealthymama

For a tasty twist, try to make this recipe with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto! You might also love this Bowtie Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing!

 

This recipe was originally published in 2016. Video was added June 2019.

28306shares
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Salad Recipes

Previous Post: « Healthy Mocha Frappuccino Recipe
Next Post: 6 Ways to Wear the Perfect Tank Top »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Martha says

    August 1, 2018 at 10:24 pm

    Looks wonderful. I’m in weight watchers and really wish Saturated Fats were included in the nutrition info. With that it would provide the weight watchers community enough information to easily know the Points in the recipe!

    Reply
    • Maryea says

      August 3, 2018 at 8:00 am

      Thanks for your feedback, Martha, I didn’t realize that saturated fats was needed to calculate WW points. I’ll see if I can get my recipes updated!

      Reply
      • Martha says

        August 3, 2018 at 1:22 pm

        Thank you! The WW points calculator uses Calories, Sat Fats, Protein and sugars.

  2. Bekki says

    January 16, 2018 at 1:59 am

    What is a serving size?

    Reply
  3. Kelly says

    September 1, 2017 at 2:07 pm

    Can’t find recipes dressing

    Reply
    • Maryea says

      September 3, 2017 at 8:22 am

      Sorry about that. Here it is: https://happyhealthymama.com/spinach-basil-pesto.html

      Reply
  4. Alma Sample says

    September 12, 2016 at 11:36 pm

    Yum!! We made this for dinner exactly as recipe says and turned out great!! Will be making this again.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Maryea says

      September 14, 2016 at 9:39 am

      Thanks so much for letting me know, Alma! 🙂

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

What are you looking for?

Welcome! I'm Maryea, author of Happy Healthy Mama. I am on a mission to create the healthiest life possible for my family and inspire you to do the same! Read More…

By Category

Easy + Healthy Dinners

a pan ful of tandoori chicken with red onions

Tandoori Chicken Recipe

overhead shot of pan fried salmon

Pan Fried Salmon

a spoonful of Vegan Mushroom Wild Rice Soup

Vegan Mushroom Wild Rice Soup

Oven Baked Caprese Chicken

overhead shot of rosemary roasted chicken

Oven Roasted Chicken

Roasted Turkey Breast recipe--on a plate with fresh cranberries and rosemary

Thanksgiving Dinner Ideas for a Small Crowd

Taco Stuffed Zucchini Boats (Vegan + Gluten Free)

overhead shot of a baked casserole with tomatoes, cheese, and basil in a glass dish with pieces of fresh basil Ono the side

Recipes with Pesto

Archives

Footer

Privacy

Copyright © 2021 · Cookd Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in