Pasta salad with zucchini pesto, mozzarella and dried tomatoes

Name: Pasta salad with zucchini pesto, mozzarella and dried tomatoes
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 20
Cuisine: En
Ingredients: 7 oz pasta; 1.5 oz dried tomatoes; 4.5 oz mozzarella (di buffala or fior di latte); Olive oil; Salt; Pepper; 10 oz zucchini; 1 oz pine nuts; 2 Tbsp olive oil; 1 oz parmesan cheese; 6 basil leaves; 1/2 garlic clove

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Main Dish

Very Easy

20 min

84 Kcal

If you are looking for a refreshing and balanced recipe for your future picnic or for your lunch box at work, our creamy pasta salad with zucchini pesto, mozzarella and dried tomatoes is absolutely a must-try! This delicious combination of pasta, fresh zucchini pesto, dried tomatoes and the deliciousness of mozzarella will become an obsession ;-). Make this salad ahead of time and keep it refrigerated for an easy, take-anywhere lunch. Follow the guide to make this pasta salad in no time!

Materials

Bowl
Strainer
Cutting board
Blender

Preparation

Preparation10 min

Cook time10 min

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water.
Drain them and run them under cold water in the colander to stop the cooking.
Meanwhile, prepare the zucchini pesto:
Wash the zucchini, dry them, cut the ends and grate them. Remove the water from the zucchini by squeezing it with a cloth and transfer it to a blender. Add the parmesan, pine nuts, garlic, basil, salt and pepper. Then mix until you obtain a creamy and homogeneous mixture.
Cut the mozzarella and dried tomatoes into small pieces.
Transfer the pasta to a salad bowl and add 4 tablespoons of zucchini pesto. Mix well with 2 spoons, then add the mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes, pepper, salt and a drizzle of olive oil.
There you are! You can store the pasta salad in the refrigerator or serve it immediately.

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Observations

How long can I store this pasta salad?
You can keep it for a maximum of 3 days in the refrigerator. If you store it directly in the salad bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, otherwise transfer the salad to an airtight container.

What is the best pasta to use for this salad?
We advise you to prepare the pasta salad with short pasta such as fusilli, rigatoni, farfalle or orecchiette.

What can I use instead of buffala mozzarella?
You can use fior di latte mozzarella to replace the buffala mozzarella, use mini mozzarella balls or another cheese of your choice (Emmental, Comté, Parmesan if you find them).

What can I use instead of dried tomatoes?
You can use cherry tomatoes cut in half, classic tomatoes cut into small pieces or even grilled peppers.

What to do if there is leftover zucchini pesto?
You can use it to prepare bruschetta as an appetizer, or add it to sandwiches.

What proteins should I add to this salad?
You can add a hard-boiled egg, cooked chicken or cooked tuna for example. Don't hesitate to use coral lentil pasta for example so that the vegetable proteins are already contained in the pasta!