Hi friends, did you have a fab weekend? Hoping a little sunshine and relaxation came your way!
I can hardly believe it’s 4th of July week, can you? If you’re heading to any summertime BBQs in the near future, here’s an easy side dish you could bring.
Ingredients:
1 16 oz. box bite-sized pasta (bowtie, penne or ziti work well for this)
8 oz. container of prepared pesto, or homemade basil pesto
8 oz. fresh mozzarella
kosher salt
olive oil
Veggies*
1 bunch asparagus
1 zucchini
1 yellow (summer) squash
1 small container grape tomatoes
*This is what is pictured, but every pasta salad I make features different vegetables, depending on what’s in season and what’s in my fridge. Use what you have on hand – peppers, onions, green beans and even frozen corn are other items that roast well. Personally I like a pasta salad that has a LOT of veggies in them!
Directions:
~Cook pasta to al dente according to package directions. Drain and cool in cold water bath in your sink.
~Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Chop veggies into bite-sized pieces – try to keep the pieces all about the same size so they cook evenly (I slice the grape tomatoes in half so they don’t explode in my oven.) Spread on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and kosher salt and mix to coat. Roast for approximately 15-20 minutes or until tender.
~Let veggies cool on stovetop (or in fridge if you’re in a rush!), then add them along with their juices to large bowl.
~Chop mozzarella into small pieces and add to bowl.
~Throw in pasta and entire container of pesto and mix.
~Chill until ready to serve.
If you have grown tons of fresh basil this year, be sure to try my Basil Pesto recipe – homemade is sooooo good!!!
As a result of a rainy early summer, my basil is looking rather forlorn this year (figures – it’s the herb I use the most and is the one that is thriving the least!) So sad.
As a substitute for homemade, I like this brand for store-bought pesto.
All those yummy roasted veggies, fresh mozzarella and the nuttiness of the pesto come together for a rather tasty pasta salad!
Hope your holiday week includes some fun festivities!
