Spinach Pesto Pasta Salad
An easy homemade pesto sauce using baby spinach leaves, tossed with your favorite pasta and grape tomatoes. A perfect Summer side dish!
I’m pretty sure my girls are turning into fish. They’ve swam daily for the past 2 weeks or so. There may be a break in that swim pattern though due to the pending tropical storm heading north. Fingers crossed it doesn’t mess with 4th of July plans too much. My oldest will be pretty bummed if it’s rainy and windy on her birthday.
She’s been watching the weather closely with me to see what’s going to happen. I think it’s partly due to it being her birthday week and partly due to her general interest and curiosity in more things these days. That of course didn’t stop her from proclaiming that it could be her ‘worse birthday ever’ if the storm hits up here. Kids… so dramatic.
Then again, I can’t say I wouldn’t feel the same way if it happened to me. It sort of has actually. One year I had a blizzard on my birthday. The joys of having a March birthday and living in New England. There’s always that snowy possibility… it’s especially annoying for someone who isn’t a huge fan of snow in the first place.
But, should your 4th of July plans not be washed out this weekend. Be sure to whip up this super easy and flavorful pasta salad!! It’s a must make, especially if you love pesto sauce!
This one has a fun twist, using spinach instead of basil. I figured spinach would be more readily available to most, as you can easily find it at the grocery store in decent quantities. That isn’t the case when it comes to basil, at least around here! And how can you ever go wrong with cheese, garlic or pasta?! Add them all together and you have an amazing dish that is sure to be a crowd pleaser.
Your favorite pasta tossed with a homemade spinach-pesto sauce and grape tomatoes! Add this to your Summer plans!
Spinach Pesto Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb pasta
- 3 C packed baby spinach
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2/3 C Parmesan cheese
- 3-4 Tbsp olive oil
- Cherry tomatoes
Instructions
- Prepare pasta as directed on package.
- Meanwhile, prepare pesto sauce. In a food processor, puree spinach leaves with garlic cloves and Parmesan cheese. Slowly drizzle in 3-4 Tbsp olive oil until desired consistency is reached. Slice tomatoes into quarters.
- Drain pasta, rinsing with cool water. Allow pasta to cool before tossing with pesto sauce and tomatoes. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Love the simplicity of this recipe and I’m always up for pesto pasta!
Thanks Kim!
Until I moved to the Midwest, I never knew I needed to worry about storms for my summer birthday–now I watch the forecast to see if we’ll get a thunderstorm. Hope things stay dry for you (and at least no blizzards, right?). This salad looks like the perfect thing to bring to a 4th of July BBQ!
A freak July blizzard sure would be something (and not something I want either) :)
Do you think this would be good with fresh pasta (probably cut as egg noodles)?
I don’t see why not! :)
I am a huge pesto pasta lover! Thanks for sharing!!
Thanks Rebecca!
SUCH pretty photos!
Thanks Rachel!
This is such a pretty salad. We had a hot and sticky Canada day up here. Then just as the fireworks started… the skies opened up and rain fell, and fell hard. Glad it waited until the end.
Thanks Tracy! So glad you got your festivities in before the rain hit! :)
This pesto sounds delicious! I’ll have to try it soon. I remember when I was little. Summertime was full of swimming and water. I hope you are safe from the tropical storm!
Thanks Alexis! I hope you enjoy it :)
You had me at spinach pesto! This looks too good. I think this will have to be my lunch for tomorrow.
Thanks Connie!
This will look fabulous on game day – add some color to the table. Thanks for sharing
Thanks Yvonne!
This looks so yummy! I don’t have a food processor; do you think a blender would work for this?
A good blender should work just fine. Good luck! :)