This easy Creamy Pesto Pasta Salad with Peas and Sun-Dried Tomatoes is ideal for picnics and potlucks, barbecues and birthday parties. A simple dressing of pesto, mayonnaise, and lemon juice cloaks this family-favorite pasta salad. Sweet and chewy sun-dried tomatoes, and vibrant green peas round out this versatile side dish.
There's a time and a place for pasta salad, and that is any time and anywhere. Summer is perhaps the most ideal season for this creamy pesto pasta salad. Fresh basil is plentiful in backyard planters, and farmers' markets.
Pasta salad can have a reputation for being pretty boring. A lot of times it's either drowned in mayonnaise or bottled Italian dressing (or maybe both). Either way, it needs a makeover.
Sweet peas and sun-dried tomatoes are great additions to this less-traditional spin on pasta salad. Not only do they both add a burst of color, but they are a perfect pair flavor-wise. This recipe is so simple to make with ingredients you may already have on hand.
Ingredient notes
- Pesto: You can easily make this salad with homemade or store-bought pesto. If you decide to make your own, use any variety of basil you like. I often use Armenian basil, which is a more purple-and-green variety than traditional basil.
- Pasta: I use gemelli pasta, which is a short, chewy, twisted pasta shape. It's a bit less traditional, but it's a great choice for pasta salad!
- Sun-dried Tomatoes: I recommend sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil as opposed to loose, dry sun-dried tomatoes. The flavorful oil you get in the jar is a bonus!
- Mayonnaise: You can use whichever type of mayo you prefer for this recipe. Mayo is such a personal preference for a lot of people, so use whichever is your favorite. I often use light mayo and it turns out just fine. Saving a few calories never hurts.
How to make it
Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until almost al dente. In the last minute of cooking, add your peas and blanch for just a minute until heated through but still bright green. Drain the pasta and peas in a colander, and run cold water over them to stop the cooking process, and cool them down.
Mix equal parts pesto and mayonnaise to make the dressing. Add just a bit of lemon juice to brighten up the flavor. The mayonnaise makes the pasta salad glossy and creamy.
Transfer the drained pasta and peas to a mixing bowl, and add the creamy pesto dressing and sliced sun-dried tomatoes. Toss to combine. This pasta salad is best the day it's made. After a while it will begin to absorb the dressing, but is still delicious.
Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
Expert tips
To prepare this recipe in advance, make all the components but don't mix the dressing in with the pasta, peas, and sun-dried tomatoes. Store it in a separate container and stir it all together before serving. This will yield the perfect texture for your creamy pesto pasta salad!
I make tons of nutless pesto (it's lower in fat and cheaper this way) and then freeze it (without cheese) in ice cube trays. Then I simply defrost, mix in some Parmesan and I'm ready to go. This way you can have homemade fresh pesto any time of year!
If you'd like, add cubed cooked chicken breast to add some protein. Leftover grilled or roasted chicken would be ideal to save time. If you add a lot of chicken, you may want to slightly increase the quantities for the dressing, just to make sure it's enough to coat the additional ingredients.
Other recipes you may like
- Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
- Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad
- Armenian Grilled Vegetable Salad (Khorovats Salad)
- Spanish Potato Salad
- The Original Hollywood Brown Derby Cobb Salad
- Tomato Bulgur Pilaf
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also follow me on social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Creamy Pesto Pasta Salad with Peas and Sun-dried Tomatoes
Ingredients
Dressing:
- ½ cup basil pesto (store-bought or homemade)
- ½ cup mayonnaise (light is fine)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salad:
- Kosher salt
- 1 pound short pasta such as gemelli, rotini, or farfalle
- 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
- 18 sun-dried tomatoes sliced
Instructions
- To make the dressing, stir together the pesto, mayonnaise, and lemon juice. If your pesto is homemade, it should already be well-seasoned, but if not, adjust the seasoning as necessary. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until a minute shy of al dente. Add the peas and blanch them during the final minute of cooking, just until the peas are heated through, but still bright green. Drain the pasta and peas in a colander. Run cold water over the colander to shock the cooking process and cool the pasta and peas.
- Add the drained pasta and peas to a large mixing bowl and add the dressing and sun-dried tomatoes. Mix until well combined. The pasta salad is best the day it is made, before it begins to absorb the dressing, although it’s still tasty the next day.
Notes
- To prepare this recipe in advance, make all the components but don't mix the dressing in with the pasta, peas, and sun-dried tomatoes. Store it in a separate container and stir it all together before serving. This will yield the perfect texture for your creamy pesto pasta salad!
- Make homemade pesto and then freeze it (without cheese) in ice cube trays. Then defrost and mix in some Parmesan. This way you can have homemade fresh pesto any time of year!
- Add cubed cooked chicken breast to add some protein. Leftover grilled or roasted chicken would be ideal to save time. If you add a lot of chicken, you may want to slightly increase the quantities for the dressing, just to make sure it's enough to coat the additional ingredients.
Nutrition
*All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.*
Jamie says
Super yummy as a side dish! Adding grilled chicken would be a delicious to make a meal!!
Alexis says
I used thin spaghetti and julienned sundried tomatoes, and followed the rest of the recipe. It turned out so good! I made this for a side for supper tonight, but next bbq Iโll be bringing this!