fusilli pasta with pesto, red onion, olives, sundried tomatoes and lemon slice
Recipes, Side

Arugula Pesto Pasta Salad

Fresh, vibrant and perfect for summer! This Arugula Pesto Pasta Salad will be your new favourite summer salad.

It’s prime time for summer potlucks. Every year summer rolls around and you eat the same ole’ potluck recipes time after time. We think they deserve an upgrade.

Pasta salad is a huge hit when it comes to summer. It’s light, fresh and super easy to make ahead of time – which is really what you’re looking for in a good potluck recipe. This Arugula Pesto Pasta Salad can be made the night before and kept in the fridge until ready. Plus you can easily double or triple the recipe for larger groups!

fusilli pasta with pesto, olive, sundried tomatoes, red onion and a lemon slice

Why this Arugula Pesto Pasta Salad will the the hit of the summer:

  • It’s super fresh and vibrant!
  • Arugula has a unique flavour.
  • Natural salt punch from the olives.
  • Sundried tomatoes, duh.
  • It’s as easy as one pot and one mini food processor.
  • Can be enjoyed all week long.

How did we make this Arugula Pesto Pasta Salad? First you’ll want to prepare everything. Cook up your desired pasta, we used fusilli as the twists perfectly capture all the delicious pesto. Next you’ll want to prep the add-ins; olives, sundried tomatoes and red onion. Throw in all the pesto ingredients into your food processor and blend until smooth. Finally toss everything in a large bowl and combine. This salad is best enjoyed on a hot summer’s day alongside one of our Classic Vegan Burgers and Refreshing Summer Cocktails.

What you need for this recipe:

  • Vegan Pasta (of choice)
  • Sundried Tomatoes
  • Green Olives
  • Red Onion
  • Fresh Arugula
  • Lemon
  • Garlic
  • Walnuts
  • Nutritional Yeast
  • Salt
  • Water

Check out the full recipe and video tutorial below.

Looking for more great summer recipes? Check out our Easy Pasta Salad, Korean-style Corn on the Cob, Vegan 7 Layer Dip and Grilled Corn Salad.

fusilli pasta with pesto, olives, red onion and sundried tomatoes

Arugula Pesto Pasta Salad

Fresh, vibrant and perfect for summer! Peppery, arugula pesto tossed in a cold pasta salad - the perfect addition to any summer grill.
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Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: Italian-inspired, Mediterranean
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 6 people

Ingredients

  • 250 g cooked pasta, of choice
  • 1/2 cup (65 g) sundried tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup (40 g) green olives, chopped
  • 1/4 (40 g) red onion, diced

Arugula Pesto

  • 2 cups (40 g) arugula
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 4 cloves (20 g) 4 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 cup (50 g) walnuts*
  • 1/4 cup (20 g) nutritional yeast
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1/4 cup (40 mL) water

Instructions

  • To a food processor combine pesto ingredients and blend until smooth.
  • To a large bowl combine pesto, pasta, sundried tomatoes, green olives and red onion. Toss to coat.

Notes

* To make this a nut-free recipe, substitute with sunflower or pepita seeds.

How to make Arugula Pesto Pasta Salad (video)

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