Summer Veggie Pesto Pasta Salad – pasta tossed with Basil Mint Pesto, tomatoes, zucchini, and mozzarella for an easy summer side dish.
One month of summer left – how is that even possible?! I’m kicking it into overdrive now with all things summer related: weekends at the lake, boat rides, walks along the river, patio time…
When it comes down to it, us Minnesotans know this one true fact about life: enjoy the weather while you can.
Oh, might I mention this includes many outdoor patio/backyard BBQ’s with friends and family? The kind with a large table filled with all kinds of dishes – salads, finger-foods, meats, cheese, fruits, sweets (etc, etc…). You name it, it’s there ready to be piled on a plate and devoured in between boat rides and games of corn hole.
Now we’re really speaking my summer language.
This past weekend, I had the quintessential Minnesota weekend: a cabin in the woods up north, on a lake, with a boat. Add in perfect weather, amazing friends, and a garden full of fresh vegetables and chickens clucking around – oh and paddle boats, floating rafts, and lots of laughs – for the complete experience.
Now this setting, this is where I bring to you Summer Veggie Pesto Pasta. These perfect summer days full of laugher and sunshine is what it’s about.
It’s meant to be enjoyed on those tables full of food, mixed in between the homemade brownie bites and the plate full of burgers (veggie, too, of course!) with loved ones around and the sun shining down.
Swirls of twisty pasta hold onto the Basil Mint Pesto just as I would – with every fiber of my being – and are mixed in with the summer veggies that are (hopefully) overflowing in your garden: zucchini and tomatoes.
What goes better with this stellar combination than mozzarella cheese? Nothing, that’s why all you need are bite-sized cubes of fresh mozzarella mixed in for the best summer pasta salad around.
Love pasta salad? Check out these other favorites!
Get the Recipe Summer Veggie Pesto Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Basil Mint Pesto or Basil Pesto
- 1 pound Rotini pasta
- 2 Tablespoons pasta water
- 1 medium zucchini, quartered and thinly diced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, diced
- Salt to taste
- Basil for garnish
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to directions on packaging, reserving 2 Tablespoons pasta water before draining and rinsing. Stir together pasta water and pesto.
- Toss pesto, pasta, tomatoes, zucchini, and mozzarella. Salt to taste.
- Chill or serve immediately. Garnish with basil as desired.
Loving all the fresh veggies in this salad! Sounds like the perfect lunch to me!
Thanks, Rebecca! Me too! 🙂
I loved getting a peek into your weekend on snapchat! It looked like the perfect lake weekend! So jealous you have so many lakes so close 🙂 And this pasta salad— sign me up for anything with pesto. Love it!
It was – the lakes are definitely a good compromise for moving away from the ocean 😉 Your weekend via snaps made me jealous too though, SUCH a cute puppy you have!!!! 🙂