This easy 20 minute Sundried tomato pesto pasta salad recipe is a perfect summer recipe! With crunchy walnuts, fresh greens and juicy tomatoes. this pesto pasta salad is great for a quick lunch/ dinner.
Who doesn’t like a quick recipe that’s not only easy but actually tastes good? I certainly do! And if you aren’t a big salad fan, I am pretty sure you will change your mind after eating this one.
This sundried tomato pesto pasta salad is tangy, fresh, simple and so so good. You can easily leave out the pasta and have it with just the greens and tomatoes to avoid the carbs. But why would you omit the pasta? I would you rather eat it with the pasta and go for hike maybe? Well, that’s what I would do 🙂
Looking for more easy summer recipes? Check out this
Bean salad with creamy cilantro dressing
South Indian style yogurt curry
Easy Lemon rice with carrots and peppers
Truth be told, I am not a big fan of sun dried tomatoes. But this pesto is one thing that I love using it in. Tangy, garlicky and Vegan! Yes, no cheese. But feel free to add parmesan to it. It tastes delicious with or without. This is the best recipe you can make using sundried tomatoes. Unless you are someone who likes to eat them as is.
How to make this Yummy Vegan Sundried tomato pesto?
All you have to do is add the ingredients like sundried tomatoes, garlic, walnuts, nutritional yeast, olive oil, red pepper flakes and basil to a food processor and pulse pulse pulse! You could also do this in a mortar and pestle. But food processor makes the job so much more easier!
This Sundried tomato pesto is not only good in this recipe. You can smear it on toasts, make pastas, eat with rotis, dip your crackers in etc. They are great to have in your refrigerator for your weekly meal prep.
What ingredients goes into this Sundried tomato pesto pasta salad?
Pasta – use pasta of your choice or just substitute it with quinoa or even chickpeas.
Sundried tomato pesto
Greens of your choice – I have used arugula here!
cherry tomatoes
walnuts
avocado
Feta cheese ( just skip it if vegan)
lemon juice, salt, black pepper!
Let’s see how to do this easy pasta salad recipe which gets done in no time!
Easy sun dried tomato pesto salad recipe with arugula, basil, tomatoes and avocado.
- 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes with the olive oil
- 1/2 cup basil leaves
- 1 big garlic clove
- 1/3 cup walnuts
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast (sub with parmesan if not vegan)
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 4 oz pasta of your choice
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes cut in half
- 1 big avocado sliced / diced
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 3 cups baby arugula or greens of your choice
- 1/4 cup feta cheese (can omit if vegan)
- 1 lemon zested
- 11/2 tsp lemon juice or to taste
- salt as needed
- black pepper to taste
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Cook the pasta accoridng to the pasta box instructions and set it aside.
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While the pasta is cooking, make the pesto for the salad. To make the pesto add the sundried tomatoes along with its oil, walnuts, garlic, red pepper flakes, nutritional yeast or parmesan to a food processor and pulse until it comes together into somewhat coarse mixture. Add more olive oil if needed while grinding.
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Add the cooked pasta, arugula, basil leaves, walnuts, cherry tomatoes, avocado to a big bowl.
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Add some of the sun dried tomato pesto, feta cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, black pepper and mix everything well.
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Serve in room temperature or cold.
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Store the remaining pesto in an air tight container in the refrigerator.
- Substitute the arugula with greens of your choice.
- Can substitute the pasta with cooked chickpeas.
- Leftover pesto tastes great in pastas, toasts etc.
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