Love pasta salad recipes? You need to try our Simple vegan pasta salad as well as our Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad and our Roasted veggie pasta salad!

Straightforward Pesto Pasta Salad in a large bowl with a napkin in the corner of the shot

Why you’ll love this well-seasoned pasta salad!

Growing up with an Italian father who spent his summers outside in his garden, I’m no stranger to a good pesto recipe. I have a lot of them on my blog at this point like this Creamy Pesto Pasta, this Pesto Pasta Bake, and this Pesto Gnocchi.

And as someone who LOVES pasta salad, I’m surprised that I’m only now sharing a pesto pasta salad recipe! It’s especially simple to make and packed with so much flavor – I’m excited for you to try it!

Why You’ll Love This

Comes together with one bowl and zero fancy techniques
Uses a full batch of pesto so nothing dries out, even the next day
Great make-ahead option for picnics, potlucks, and meal prep
Unfussy to customize with what’s in your fridge

ingredients needed for pesto pasta salad including pasta, pesto, tomatoes, mozzarella and red onion

Pesto Pasta Salad Ingredients

The ingredients for this dish are listed fully down in the recipe card but let’s briefly go over the pantry staples needed including a few substitutions you can make as desired!

Pasta – any short, sturdy shape works (rotini, fusilli, or shells are great for grabbing the pesto)
Fresh cherry tomatoes – halved for juicy bursts of sweetness in every bite.
Mozzarella cheese – small mozzarella balls (ciliegine) are ideal, but a diced block works too
Arugula – adds a peppery bite; baby spinach is a good substitute if you want something milder
Fresh pesto – from-scratch basil pesto is go-to here, but a high-quality store-bought pesto sauce works in a pinch. I also have a truly flavor-packed vegan pesto recipe!
Red onion – thinly sliced or diced for a little sharpness; soak in cold water for a few minutes if you want to mellow the bite
Toppings – toasted pine nuts, fresh basil leaves, extra shredded Parmesan
Optional additions – artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, and sun-dried tomatoes are all savory mixed into this salad!

How to Make It

Simply a reminder that you can find the FULL written unfussy pesto pasta salad recipe down in the recipe card, but I want to quickly go over how to make them with visuals for you:)

Make the pesto. A REGULAR HERE fresh basil pesto and highly recommend it. I make mine in a food processor. That being said, store bought pesto works great as well.

Cook the pasta. Cook your pasta in a pot of salted water according to package directions until al dente. Worth keeping using a small pasta shape, such as rotini, for this method. But, truly any shape of pasta works well.

Toss the pasta. Place the cooked pasta in a large bowl and toss it with the creamy pesto dressing. I like to do this separately bc the pesto gets stuck in all of the grooves of the pasta and A regular here that!

pesto pasta in a large wood bowl with mozzarella, tomatoes and arugula on top before being mixed in

Mix in the veggies. Add the tomatoes, mozzarella pearls, arugula, and red onion and toss to combine. Serve with fresh basil, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. Store leftovers in an airtight container.

Recipe Tips

Use the full batch of pesto. This is what keeps the salad from drying out, especially if you’re making it ahead. If you want it a little less saucy, start with half the batch and add more to taste.
Cool the pasta before tossing. A short rinse under cold water keeps the arugula from wilting and stops the noodles from overcooking.
Add the arugula and basil last. Tossing them in right before serving (or even right before eating leftovers) keeps everything looking and tasting fresh.
Taste before serving. Pasta soaks up a lot of flavor as it sits, so a short taste and an extra drizzle of pesto right before serving makes a big difference.
Add more protein. I highly suggest serving this pasta salad with some of my Straightforward Grilled Halloumi for extra protein and flavor!