Cold pasta with pesto fresh and delicious. One of the best things about summer are the cold pasta salads, rice, and legume salads. Simple to prepare in advance and enjoy cold, just like the recipe I want to tell you about today. A fresh and exquisite Mediterranean cold pasta with pesto, mozzarella, and cherry tomatoes. It’s very simple and quick to prepare, especially if you prepare the basil pesto in advance, and if you want to be even quicker, you can conveniently use store-bought pesto. I used basil from my plants for the pesto this year, which are very lush despite the scorching temperatures. All the aromas I love make my pasta salad perfect to win over your family at the table. You can prepare it in advance and store it in the fridge to enjoy cold, and it’s a perfect idea to take to the beach in your cooler bag. Let’s head to the kitchen and prepare my pasta salad with tomatoes and mozzarella together.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: For 4 people
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Summer
- Energy 401.92 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 36.83 (g) of which sugars 4.94 (g)
- Proteins 14.18 (g)
- Fat 21.79 (g) of which saturated 6.86 (g)of which unsaturated 11.82 (g)
- Fibers 2.96 (g)
- Sodium 840.24 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 200 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 for Cold Pasta with Mozzarella
- 11 oz pasta
- 10.5 oz cherry tomatoes
- 7 oz mozzarella
- 7 oz pesto
- 2.1 oz black olives (pitted)
- 1.4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 sprig basil
- to taste salt
How to Prepare Cold Pasta with Pesto
First, prepare the Pesto following my recipe you can find HERE. You can also prepare it in advance and store it in a jar in the fridge for 2-3 days or freeze it.
Cook the pasta, in the shape you prefer, in plenty of salted water. Drain it al dente and transfer it to a bowl. Dress with 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and mix with 2 spoons. Let it cool. Wash the cherry tomatoes and cut them into 4 parts. Slice the pitted black olives. Cut the mozzarella into cubes.
Dress the pasta with the pesto and mix. Add the mozzarella, olives, cherry tomatoes, and torn basil leaves. Mix well and let it cool and flavor in the fridge for at least an hour. Before serving, add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
See you tomorrow with a new recipe, hugs, Loredana
Loredana’s Tips
The Cold Pasta with Pesto can be stored in the fridge in a container for 2 days
Also, read the recipe for my Rice Salads
Your Questions
What can I substitute mozzarella with?
With another soft cheese, feta, caciotta, and asiago cheese work perfectly
