The cold pasta with arugula pesto is a very simple and tasty main dish, perfect for an everyday lunch or a dinner with friends. A variant to the recipe of flavorful cold pasta, equally quick and easy to prepare.
For today’s recipe, I dressed the pasta with arugula pesto to which I added mortadella cubes quickly sautéed in a pan with a little oil. If you prefer, you can add them raw, but a short cooking in the pan will surely make the pasta even more delicious.
Burrata is indispensable in this main dish. I love it so much and often eat it with cherry tomatoes as a summer second course, but today’s alternative was a huge success in the family too. Simple, quick, and tasty, this pasta salad can be served even on special occasions. Shall we prepare it together? I’ll leave the recipe below. The cold pasta with arugula pesto, mortadella, and burrata will be ready in a click!
If you are interested in other cold summer main dishes, you should also check:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Summer
- Energy 539.31 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 18.40 (g) of which sugars 1.42 (g)
- Proteins 21.28 (g)
- Fat 43.13 (g) of which saturated 12.99 (g)of which unsaturated 12.61 (g)
- Fibers 0.53 (g)
- Sodium 1,270.14 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 172 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 9 oz trofie
- 5 oz mortadella
- 5 oz burrata
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- chopped pistachios (to taste)
- 3 cups arugula
- 1 clove garlic
- 0.5 oz pecorino (grated)
- 0.5 oz grated Parmesan cheese
- 0.75 oz pine nuts
- 2 oz extra virgin olive oil
- coarse salt (to taste)
Tools
- High-rimmed saucepan
- Frying pan
- Basin
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Blender
Steps
First, prepare the arugula pesto. Clean the arugula by washing it under water and dry it very well. Then transfer it to the blender along with the grated pecorino, the grated cheese, the peeled garlic clove, the pine nuts, the coarse salt, and the oil. Then blend until you obtain a smooth and homogeneous cream and set aside. Be careful not to overdo it with the coarse salt, as you risk ending up with a very salty sauce. The addition of the coarse salt is mainly to prevent the pesto from turning black, as well as to add flavor.
Now cook the pasta in plenty of salted water, following the cooking times indicated on the package. I used fresh trofie that cook in just a few minutes, but you can use any type of pasta you prefer.
As soon as the pasta is cooked, drain it and run it under cold water to stop the cooking and cool it down. Drain it well again and transfer it to a basin. Dress with oil, mix, and set aside.
Then cut the mortadella into cubes and brown it in a non-stick pan with a little oil for a few minutes. As soon as it is golden, add it to the pasta. Also add 100 g of pesto and mix.
The pasta salad with arugula pesto is ready! Serve it with burrata and chopped pistachios.
Storage and tips for cold pasta with arugula pesto
Cold pasta with arugula pesto can be prepared in advance and stored in the fridge for 1 or 2 days in a container with a lid. Add the burrata and pistachios just before serving.
FAQ Questions and Answers for cold pasta with arugula pesto
What can I substitute burrata with?
As an alternative to burrata, you can use tuna, cherry tomatoes, feta, or mozzarella.
