Pasta Salad with Pesto

This was a great pasta salad recipe. I changed it a little to make it easier with the ingredients that I had on hand.  I think I used normal ceasar dressing, not creamy.  I also used normal tomatoes and sliced them. I think I may have added chives? I also pulled out a frozen ice cube of basil I had in my freezer...didn't use fresh. I didn't add any pine nuts. 

1. Tri-Color Pasta Salad
2. YIELD: SERVES 6-8
   I've subbed unsalted sunflower seeds for the pine nuts before with good results (although pine nuts are my preference; love them!).

   You can use regular tomatoes in place of the Roma; I like to give them a light squeeze over the sink after slicing in half to get rid of a bit of water before adding them to the salad.

   The original recipe called for 2 teaspoons sauté spice (equal parts black pepper, salt and garlic powder). I've scaled that amount down over the years and broken it out into separate ingredients in the recipe.
   INGREDIENTS
   • 12-ounce package tri-color rotini pasta, cooked and drained
   • 2/3 cup creamy Caesar dressing
   • 1/2 teaspoon coarse, kosher salt
   • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
   • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
   • 3 roma tomatoes, diced
   • 1 (6-ounce) can black olives, drained and chopped
   • 1/4 cup finely diced red onion (or green onions)
   • 3/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
   • 6-10 fresh basil leaves, cut into strips or torn into pieces, plus more for garnish, if desired
   • 1/4 cup basil pesto
   • 1/2 to 1 cup toasted pine nuts (optional - see note above for substitutions
   • 
     
   1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water according to package directions. Drain and coat with the Caesar dressing while still warm.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the pine nuts and extra basil. Toss well to combine. Add additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed.
4. Refrigerate until ready to serve (4-8 hours). If the pasta salad seems dry after refrigerating, add a little more Caesar dressing and stir to combine. Before serving, top with pine nuts and fresh basil, if desired.

Recipe Source: from my Aunt Marilyn

Recipe originally posted February 17, 2009

https://www.melskitchencafe.com/tri-color-pasta-salad/