Incredibly Easy Pesto Pasta Salad

This Incredibly Easy Pesto Pasta Salad is the simplest make-ahead friendly side that’s perfect for all occasions. Use store-bought pesto and canned sliced olives to make quick work of this crowd-pleasing cold pasta salad recipe!

What are the ingredients in this Easy Pesto Pasta Salad?

There are only six ingredients in this recipe, so it’s super quick to grab the ingredients at the store if you’re missing something! Here’s a list of the ingredients and a little info for each:

• bowtie pasta – Bowtie has always been my choice for pesto pasta, but any small shape with grooves for holding sauce would work just fine.
• extra virgin olive oil – For the best flavor, it is helpful to use a quality EVOO here. It adds a flavor and keeps the pasta salad from drying out.
• traditional basil pesto – If you prefer a homemade pesto, you can definitely use that! But store-bought pestos can be just as good in my opinion, and it saves time and money to buy it from the store.
• cherry tomatoes – I love the contrast of sweet and juicy cherry tomatoes with the savory ingredients and tang from the olives. You could skip these if someone doesn’t like tomatoes. The pasta would still work!
• black olives – Homemade pesto is usually made with olive oil, so it kind of makes sense that olives go well in this salad? They add a light tang from the brine but still let the pesto do the talking.
• parmesan cheese – While I’m always down for shortcuts, I think there’s a big difference between freshly shredded parm from a wedge and pre-shredded from the store. Grating the parm yourself may be a little more work, but it’s worth it!
• fine sea salt & fresh ground black pepper – Your pesto might already have these ingredients, so it’s important to taste and see how you like it! Be sure to salt the pasta water, though.

Equipment you’ll need to make Easy Pesto Pasta Salad:

There are a few pieces of equipment you’ll need to make this pasta salad. Here are the items and brands I use at home:

• For a cutting board, I recommend this Greener Chef XL Bamboo Cutting Board (affiliate link!). The XL size is perfect but not too huge. I use it for everything except cutting raw meat.
• For a pasta cooking pot, you can use any large stockpot or soup pot. I don’t even know what brand mine is, so it’s hard to recommend it 😂
• For my chef’s knife, I use a Misen Chef’s Knife (affiliate link!). This knife is super high quality while being affordable. I’ve had mine for years (and there’s a lifetime guarantee!).
• And some mixing bowls. These are what I used: 8-Piece Pyrex Sculptured Mixing Bowl Set (affiliate link!). The largest size is what you should mix the pasta salad in! Take my advice, ha!

How to make this Incredibly Easy Pesto Pasta Salad:

I’ve been making this pasta salad since college, and let me tell you this: it’s simple, but there are still important steps to follow. I’ve said this before, but with store-bought pesto and a can of olives that are already sliced, you get incredible flavor from just a few steps. Here’s how it goes:

Start with the pasta and get that going, since this is the most time consuming part of the recipe. Heat about 5 quarts of water in a large stockpot over high heat. Once boiling, add at least 1 tablespoon salt to season the water. This is the first step to infusing the pasta with as much flavor as possible.

Cook the pasta to al dente based on package directions. Drain the pasta well in a strainer and rinse it cold water to stop the cooking. Set aside to cool while you slice the tomatoes, shred the parm, and grab the rest of the ingredients.

When you’re ready, add the drained and cooled pasta to a large (your largest!) mixing bowl. Add in the other ingredients and drizzle the oil over the top. Get a large spoon (to match your large bowl, of course) and mix everything. The pesto should disperse around and get caught in the little noodle grooves.

You can serve it immediately, but I really like it chilled with more parmesan on top. This may be too niche with ingredients, but it goes really well with Sungold cherry tomatoes! That burst of juicy sweetness is perfect with the savory noodles.

Best tips for making Easy Pesto Pasta Salad:

Here are my best tips for making this recipe successfully in your kitchen:

• Don’t undercook the pasta. Before you drain the boiling water, grab one noodle, blow on it to cool, and then taste to check on the texture. This is probably the most important part of the recipe! Hard pasta is not fun.
• Use a pesto you know you like! Not all premade pestos are created equal. Make sure you use a brand you trust. I like Rana, and the brand Artisola! Some store brands are… odd.
• Refresh leftovers with a drizzle of oil. As the salad sits in the fridge, the noodles will absorb the oil and it may appear dry. All it takes to resolve this is a bit of oil and a mix!

What to serve with this Pesto Pasta Salad?

This pasta salad is delicious on its own – I enjoy it for lunch all the time! It’s also really good with some plain cooked grilled or cooked chicken. Anything you put into this pasta salad will take on the pesto flavors! But for that reason, I would avoid adding anything highly seasoned to this pasta salad.

Ways to meal prep this recipe:

This pasta salad recipe was meant for meal prep! No changes need to be made to the recipe for it to work as leftovers.

It tastes incredible directly from the fridge, or served at room temperature. While I think it tastes best chilled, it is perfectly okay to serve it immediately after cooking as well.

Is this recipe freezer-friendly?

I would not recommend freezing this recipe with the cooked pasta and fresh tomatoes. However, leftover pesto can be frozen into small portions using a Souper Cubes 2 Tablespoon Freezing Tray.

How to store leftover Easy Pesto Pasta Salad:

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Refresh leftovers with a drizzle of olive oil before serving.

How to reheat Easy Pesto Pasta Salad:

This is a dish best served cold or room temperature, so no need to reheat!