Description
A light and simple summer pasta salad with tangy, fresh pesto and garden vegetables.
Ingredients
Scale
Salad
- 2 cups uncooked fusilli pasta, gluten free if possible
- 1 zucchini, chopped into half moons
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 cup chickpeas, (canned, drained, and rinsed)
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
Pesto
- 2 cups of fresh basil
- ¼ cup of raw cashews
- 1/2 of an avocado
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup quality olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ⅓ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Optional
- fresh basil for garnish
Instructions
- Boil pasta, drain, and place in a large bowl to cool. Mix with 1 tablespoons of olive oil to keep the pasta from sticking together.
- Once it reaches room temperature, add zucchini, red pepper, chickpeas, and seasonings. Mix to combine.
- Add pesto (instructions below) and mix again to combine.
Pesto
- In a food processor, add garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, pepper, and cashews. Process until smooth.
- Add basil, remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and avocado and process again. If needed, add more olive oil to reach a smooth consistency.
- Finally, add lemon juice and process until combined.
- Set the pesto aside until you're ready to combine with the salad.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: Side
Nutrition
- Calories: 238
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 226 mg
- Fat: 13 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 26 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 5 g