This easy Pesto Pasta Salad recipe is the perfect quick and tasty side dish! Made with flavorful pesto, Dagostino Rotini Pasta, crumbled feta cheese, and bright sun-dried tomatoes, this great recipe will be a hit at any cookout.
The change in organic texture and fresh flavors change from bite to bite and it is different from your everyday summer pasta salad, making it our favorite — we hope you love this recipe.
To taste the full effect of our homemade Dagostino Rotini pasta, start with boiling water salted like the sea and cooked to al dente (about 5 minutes).
20 minutes | Serves 6-8
- How to Make Pesto Sauce
- Ingredients for Pesto Pasta Salad
- Directions for Pesto Pasta Salad
- About Dagostino Pasta
How to Make Pesto Sauce
Pesto is a sauce originating in 16th century Genoa, which is located in the northern region of Italy.
A traditional pesto recipe consists of crushed garlic, fresh basil and toasted pine nuts blended with Parmesan cheese and olive oil.
Don't feel like making your own pesto? The Fratelli Mantova listed below is our recommended premium pesto with the traditional taste we know and love and is imported from Italy.
Ingredients for Pesto Pasta Salad
|
1 lb Dagostino Rotini Pasta |
¼ cup green onions, sliced |
Directions for Pesto Pasta Salad
- Fill a medium pot 3/4 of the way up with water, cover and heat to boiling on high. Once boiling, salt well (like the sea).
- Boil pasta in the salted water at high heat for 4 minutes to al dente (still slightly firm) and drain the cooked pasta. Run the pasta under cold water to cool it down then drain well and set it in a serving bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise and pesto.
- Leave the pasta to the side and combine the remaining ingredients with the pesto dressing.
- Add the dressing to the pasta and season to taste with salt and pepper. Don’t add too much salt on account of the feta and olives being high in sodium. Combine well to coat the pasta with the dressing.
- Before serving, drizzle balsamic vinegar.
Buon Appetito! Enjoy your Pesto Pasta Salad.
About Dagostino Handmade Pasta
From Lemons to Premium Pasta
Our story started with lemon farmers in Sicily. In the early 19th century lemons would go on long voyages from Sicily to New Orleans, usually taking around 100 days. These Sicilians would create settlements in New Orleans and with them came pasta.
The Fresina Family, our founders, were some of these original lemon farmers and started creating handmade pasta in New Orleans in 1926. Since then, the D’Agostino and Hayward families have continued their tradition of creating premium handmade pasta.
Our pasta is still made the old-fashioned way, in our pasta factory, using the “delicate” method developed centuries ago. Small quantities of purse semolina pasta are cut through bronze, carefully looped over wooden rods, straightened, and then air-dried in wooden cellars.
Celebrated for its delicate texture and classic flavor, our pasta is handmade, all-natural, and preservative free, producing the best tasting pasta available on the market today.
Our sauces are some of the most authentic sauces available outside of Italy. The sauces are handmade in small batches with a unique blend of fresh herbs and spices. Made without preservatives, each batch is carefully examined by our chefs and food scientists to ensure our sauces are the best tasting on the market.
You will experience our time honored family treasure in every meal.