Pesto Pasta Salad With Tomatoes And Feta

Sara's Tiny Kitchen
by Sara's Tiny Kitchen
8 servings
15 min

My in-laws throw several parties a year(pre-Covid), but the two big ones are on the 4th of July and Labor Day. Fun fact: where I live in Cincinnati, there are definitely fireworks shows on the 4th, but the big fireworks extravaganza takes place on Labor Day. They set the fireworks off over the river that divides Ohio and Kentucky, and there are competitions over which side of the river cheers louder. It’s a total spectacle. My mother-in-law has been making this Pesto Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Feta for both of these parties for as long as I can remember.


A simple salad that can be mostly made ahead the day before, this is always a winner of a dish. It’s already vegetarian friendly, but you can also make some simple changes to make it vegan friendly – namely using a vegan pesto and either cutting out the cheese or using a vegan cheese, and vegan pasta.


Since things on the Covid front are getting a little less restrictive, at least here in the U.S. this would be a great dish to bring to a small, responsible Memorial Day cookout.

Pesto Pasta Salad With Tomatoes And Feta
Recipe details
  • 8  servings
  • Prep time: 5 Minutes Cook time: 10 Minutes Total time: 15 min
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Ingredients
Pesto Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Feta
  • 8 ounces of short pasta such as farfalle (bowtie)
  • 1/4-1/3 cup of pre-made pesto (start with 1/4 cup and add more if you think it needs it)
  • 3.5 ounces or 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
Instructions
To Make Pesto Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Feta
Cook the pasta according to package directions, then run under cold water to cool it off. You want it mostly cool, but not cold.Place the pasta in a large mixing bowl, add the pesto (I generally use store bought pesto for this recipe, but you can definitely make your own if that's your thing) and stir to coat the pasta.
At this point, cover the bowl and let the pasta chill in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.
About 30 minutes before you're ready to serve, cut the tomatoes and crumble the feta* and stir into the salad.
Tips
  • *I will always recommend getting the blocks of feta in brine that need to be crumbled, but I know that's more expensive, and a pre-crumbled feta works just fine here too.
Sara's Tiny Kitchen
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