INGREDIENTS
- 12 oz. Pesto, either purchased or home-made
- 1 package (16 ounces) bow tie pasta
- 2 cups grape tomatoes
- 7 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cubed
- 1 medium sweet yellow pepper, chopped
- 1 small red onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup pickled banana pepper rings
- 1 can (2-1/4 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained
- 4 thin slices hard salami, diced
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
DIRECTIONS
Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water. In a large bowl, combine the pasta, tomatoes, cheese, yellow pepper, onion, pepper rings, olives, salami and basil.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Toss with pesto to coat lightly. . Yield: 18 servings (3/4 cup each).
The recipe (below) has its own dressing, but I wanted the pesto… “pesto pasta” has such a warm, welcoming sound to it. So I went to Costco and purchased their pesto which I like very much. But feel free to make your own pesto or use the dressing from the original recipe (below) instead.
tasteofhome.com/recipes/italian-basil-pasta-salad
From Taste of Home
Featured In: 30 Recipes for Summer Salads
MAKES:
18 servings
TOTAL TIME:
Prep: 30 min. + chilling