Green spiral noodles salad plus#

Don’t mix too much else the rocket tends to get weighed down with pesto. Leafy greens last – And lastly, toss through the rocket/arugula. We don’t want to bash up the tomato too much. Tomato & bocconcini next – Then gently mix through the tomato and bocconcini. Pesto & mayonnaise first – Mix the pesto and mayonnaise through the pasta first. Rinse the pasta under cold running water to remove excess starch (which makes it sticky, not what we want for pasta salad) and cool. Salted water is a must, else you will feel like your pasta salad is a little under seasoned.īTW, I start my timer as soon as the pasta goes into the boiling water, not once it comes back up to the simmer.

Green spiral noodles salad plus#

Well, I’ve pretty much already given the steps, but I’ll write them out anyway!Ĭook pasta in salted water per packet time plus 1 minute so it’s extra soft, as explained above. I like chunky pesto for using as a dip, dolloping on crostini, that sort of thing, where a bit of texture is pleasant.īonus: handheld sticks are far easier to clean than a food processor! (Though you can use a food processor if you need to – directions in the recipe). I prefer using a handheld stick because you can make the pesto smoother which I prefer for pasta salads. Less clean up than using a food processor and a better result. It’s was simple as blitzing everything together using a handheld stick, until the pesto is quite smooth. Lastly, leafy greens – as pesto tends to cling to it, and we can’t have leafy greens hogging the pesto! Tossing order – Toss pasta, pesto and mayonnaise only first. Pre-empt this by cooking pasta a little longer so it’s extra soft when hot = perfect texture when cool! Why? Because pasta firms up when it cools. Rocket / arugula is great, love the hint of peppery freshness.Ĭook the pasta beyond al dente so it’s quite soft. Rocket/arugula – I like to add some type of leafy greens into me pesto pasta salads for a hint of freshness and provide textural contrast. If you want to skip these, just add a little more pasta. Love the combo of juicy tomato and the soft bites of bocconcini. Prefer to skip it? Just add a little extra olive oil.īocconcini, cherry tomatoes – My add-ins of choice, so it’s not just all pasta. Just a dab of MAYONNAISE – Not intended to make this a greasy mayo-laden pesto pasta salad! But a little dab goes a long way to give pesto pasta salad an edge of creaminess so it stays nice and “juicy” even the next day. Pasta – Any short shape your heart desires! Shells, macaroni, wheels – go wild! I went spirals. Because it’s raw, if you use too much it can be a little harsh, I find.Īnd here’s what goes into my pesto pasta salad. Olive oil – Or a 50/50 combination of olive oil and grapeseed oil (which has a more neutral flavour so let’s the basil flavour come through a little more). Pine nuts – sometimes, to change things up, I use walnuts, cashews or almonds. Parmesan – or, if you want to really go luxe, parmigiana reggiano. Here’s what you need for the basil pesto.įresh basil leaves – Abundant and excellent value during summer! But if it’s an emergency, use the fresh pesto you get from the fridge section – tastes a whole lot fresher than off the shelves in aisles! 1. The one thing that will make your pesto pasta salad stand out is freshly made basil pesto. This works wonders to keep things extra juicy today – and even tomorrow when you pull it out from the fridge! I like to make the pesto quite smooth for pasta salads, for better coverage. Today’s trick? Just 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise. (this marinated vegetable pasta salad is a solid summer staple). And juicy add-ins, like roast vegetables, tomato etc. Lots of dressing (using avocado is a neat, tasty trick, as is using a splash of pasta cooking water instead of gallons of oil).

Just because it’s a cold pasta, that’s no excuse for dryness! I resort to all sorts of tricks to keep things juicy. Actually, that’s a general pasta salad peeve. Pasta with the faintest green colour, and if you close your eyes as you eat, it’d be impressive if you picked it as pesto. Why? Because these address two pet-peeves I have about pesto pasta salads.įirstly, the pesto pasta salad that doesn’t actually taste much like pesto. My pesto pasta salad rules are simple – don’t skimp on pesto, don’t be shy with olive oil, cook the pasta beyond al dente and add the smallest dab of mayonnaise to give it a touch of luxe as well as improving leftovers. That is, if you want a good one! Pesto pasta salad but actually, it turns out I have some things to say about pesto pasta salad. I know it should be as simple as dumping pesto on pasta….