Presto Pesto Penne Pasta Salad

Pesto pasta salad is one of my favorite things to eat in the summer. It's light, refreshing, and even better the next day. I'm definitely guilty of eating this dish multiple times a week, especially given the hot and humid Midwest summer we've been having. 

Here's my favorite, go-to pasta salad recipe. The key is to always remember to save the pasta water when you're making oil-based pastas as it helps to thin out and round the sauce out so you don't have to overload on the oil! 






2 servings

8 oz pasta of your choice (short pasta works best, and penne is my favorite)
2-3 tablespoons of good pesto 
1 handful chopped sun dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
1 handful of chopped red onions (optional)

1. Cook pasta in hot salted water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup hot pasta water and drain the rest. Rinse pasta under cold running water (to keep pasta from overcooking).

2. Add in pesto, sun dried tomatoes, and onions and toss well. Add in pasta water (a little at a time) to even out the sauce to desired consistency (more or less depending on pesto thickness).

3. That's it!

Want to know what else I'm cooking? 

Follow Simply Vicky on Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest