This is a pesto pasta salad made with whole-grain fusilli, fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, and Kalamata olives, dressed in a homemade basil pesto. It comes together in 30 minutes and works equally well as a packed lunch or a side dish at a cookout. The pesto does double duty as both sauce and dressing, so there are no extra steps.
The technique that matters
The two things that actually affect the outcome here are how you cook the pasta and how you build the pesto. Cook the fusilli until just al dente โ soft pasta turns mushy once itโs coated in oil-based pesto. Rinsing it with cold water stops the cooking and keeps the spirals firm enough to grip the sauce. For the pesto, add the olive oil slowly while the processor is running. Pour it in all at once and you get a greasy, broken sauce that slides right off the pasta instead of clinging to it. Take an extra 30 seconds on that step and the texture difference is obvious.
About the ingredients
- Pine nuts: The most expensive item on the list. Walnuts or sunflower seeds work fine โ toast them either way to bring out their flavor before blending.
- Parmesan: A wedge you grate yourself melts into the pesto more smoothly than pre-grated. Pecorino Romano is a sharper, often cheaper swap.
- Kalamata olives: Any pitted black olive works. Canned black olives are milder but still add the briny contrast the salad needs.
- Fresh mozzarella: Low-moisture block mozzarella, cubed, holds up better if the salad is sitting out for a while and costs less.
- Whole-grain fusilli: Regular fusilli is fine. The spiral shape is the part that matters โ it catches the pesto.
Keeping leftovers crisp
Dress it at the table โ a pre-dressed salad goes limp fast. If youโre making this ahead, store the cooked pasta, toppings, and pesto separately in the fridge and combine just before serving. Already-dressed leftovers keep for up to two days in an airtight container, but the pasta will absorb the pesto and dry out. Loosen it with a small drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt before eating. The mozzarella gets rubbery after a day, so add fresh cubes if you have them. Donโt freeze it โ the pesto discolors and the pasta texture suffers.
If something goes sideways
- Pesto turns brown quickly: Oxidation from the basil. Blanch the basil leaves in boiling water for 10 seconds, then shock in ice water before blending โ it locks in the green color without affecting flavor.
- Salad tastes flat: Pesto needs salt to wake up. Taste it before it goes on the pasta and season it properly at that stage, not after everything is combined.
- Pesto is too thick to coat the pasta evenly: Add a tablespoon of the pasta cooking water (save some before you drain) and pulse again. The starch helps it spread.
- Pasta clumps together after rinsing: Toss it with a small drizzle of olive oil right after draining. This keeps the spirals separate while you finish the pesto.
- Dish is too rich or heavy: A squeeze of fresh lemon juice stirred in at the end cuts through the oil and brightens everything without changing the flavor profile.
Liguria Pesto Pasta Salad
Equipment
- 1 Large pot
- 1 Blender or Food Processor
- 1 Colander
- 1 Mixing bowl
Ingredients
Pasta Salad Ingredients
- 8.8 ounces Fusilli pasta Preferably whole grain
- 1 cup organic cherry tomatoes halved
- 3.5 ounces mozzarella cheese cubed
- ยฝ cup Kalamata olives pitted and sliced
- ยผ cup extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
Pesto Sauce Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves loosely packed
- ยฝ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- โ cup pine nuts toasted
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ยฝ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ยผ teaspoon sea salt or to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the fusilli pasta until al dente, approximately 8-10 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process, then set aside.
- In a blender or food processor, combine fresh basil leaves, grated Parmesan cheese, toasted pine nuts, minced garlic, and sea salt. Pulse until the mixture is finely chopped.
- With the machine running, slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup of extra-virgin olive oil until the pesto achieves a smooth, creamy consistency.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked pasta, halved cherry tomatoes, cubed mozzarella, and sliced Kalamata olives.
- Add the freshly prepared pesto sauce and gently toss until all ingredients are evenly coated.
- Drizzle 1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil over the salad for an added layer of richness and flavor. Adjust the seasoning with additional sea salt if needed.
Notes
Nutrition
Common questions
Can I use store-bought pesto instead of making it from scratch?
Yes, store-bought pesto works and keeps the recipe under 15 minutes of active work. Use about half a cup to start, taste, and add more โ jarred pesto varies a lot in saltiness and intensity between brands.
Can I make this salad the night before?
Keep the components separate and combine them the morning of โ not the night before. Dressed pasta sitting overnight gets waterlogged and the mozzarella turns rubbery.
How do I toast pine nuts without burning them?
Put them in a dry skillet over medium-low heat and stir constantly for 2 to 3 minutes. They go from pale to burnt fast, so donโt walk away.
Is this recipe gluten-free?
Not as written, but itโs an easy swap. Use your preferred gluten-free fusilli โ the spiral shape still matters for holding the pesto, so look for a GF version that holds that shape when cooked.
Can I add protein to make this a full meal?
White beans or chickpeas blend in naturally and keep it vegetarian. Drain and rinse a can, toss them in with the pasta and vegetables, and the salad scales up to four generous main-course portions.