Say hello to your new favorite summer dinner! This Tomato & Mozzarella Pesto Pasta Salad is super simple, requires minimal cooking, and is ready in just minutes!
I think my love affair with baby heirloom tomatoes has been well-documented all summer, and today I've got another recipe for you! This Tomato & Mozzarella Pesto Pasta Salad is so simple and delicious, and seriously perfect for the hot weather. It combines noodles, fresh tomatoes, bites of mozzarella, and zesty arugula leaves with pesto for an irresistible dish. I brought it to a Fourth of July party earlier this month and everyone raved about it! Nobody has to know how easy it is to make when it tastes so good, right? Let's go make it!
I have to tell y'all something! I know time flies and all that, but I am officially DONE with lectures for my PA program and I'm just a handful of exams away from being done with didactic year altogether. In less than a month, I'll be actually practicing ob/gyn on my very first rotation!!! EEK! It is absolutely blowing my mind! PA school does this weird mind-trick thing where you feel like you've simultaneously been in school forever and no time at all. So, while I know I'm ready and my program has totally prepared me... I'm not ready! As always, I just hope I can keep some baseline level of sanity and of course I won't be abandoning the blog! If I can keep up a once-weekly posting schedule, I'll be happy. 🙂
Now, back to pasta! My friends, this pesto pasta salad will seriously become your new summertime staple. It is so easy, so fresh, and so satisfying! Literally, if you can boil pasta and chop a couple of vegetables, you can easily make this. Y'all know I've been on a meatless kick for a while now, and I can promise you this is one of everyone's favorite meatless meals. If you really must, you can serve it as a side with some grilled chicken or steak but... it ain't bad with a veggie hotdog either! 😉
I hope you'll be trying this delicious pesto pasta salad on these hot summer nights! It's sure to become one of your new favorites. Happy eating! 🙂
Looking for more easy pasta salad dishes? Check out my Simple Greek Pasta Salad, BLT Pasta Salad, and Caprese Pasta Salad!
tomato & mozzarella pesto pasta salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb small pasta {I used Campanelle}
- ½-3/4 cup store-bought pesto
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 8 oz mini mozzarella balls
- 1 container arugula {about 5oz}
- 2-3 tablespoon olive oil as needed
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- First, cook pasta according to package directions.
- While it cooks, cut your cherry tomatoes and your mini mozzarella balls into fourths.
- When pasta is ready, pour into a large bowl and toss with the pesto, adding the garlic powder and some of the extra olive oil if it's too thick.
- Add in the tomatoes, mozzarella, and arugula, and salt/pepper as needed.
- Serve immediately, or refrigerate until needed!
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2pots2cook says
Oh dear! You speak my language ! Pinning ! 🙂
valentina says
Thank you! I'm glad you like this! 🙂