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.