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overhead image of a white serving platter full of pesto pasta salad made with lettuce, noodles, croutons, and Parmesan
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5 from 1 vote

Pesto Pasta Salad Recipe

This Pesto Pasta Salad Recipe comes together in minutes with 6 simple ingredients for a healthy side dish or easy appetizer everyone will love!
Prep Time2 minutes
Cook Time12 minutes
Total Time12 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: appetizer, basil pesto, easy pesto recipe, easy salad, easy side dish, holiday side dish, party appetizer, pasta salad, pasta salad recipe, pesto pasta, salad, side dish
Servings: 8
Author: Food Dolls

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup homemade or store-bought pesto or store-bought (See notes)
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • Salt to taste
  • Pepper to taste
  • 1 pound bow tie pasta cooked al dente
  • 6 cups romaine lettuce
  • 2 cups croutons
  • ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Instructions

  • Cook the pasta according to package instructions.
  • Add the pesto, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to a large bowl. Whisk until combined.
  • Layer the pasta, lettuce, croutons, and Parmesan on top of the pesto mixture.
  • Flip the bowl over, spreading the salad onto a serving platter. Toss to combine.

Notes

  • Make homemade pesto with this recipe. 
  • The ingredients are layered in order to make this salad ahead of time without getting soggy.
  • if you love a heavily dressed salad, increase the pesto to 1/2 cup.

Nutrition

Serving: 8g | Calories: 247kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 59mg | Potassium: 223mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 3070IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg