Pasta Salad with Pesto

Traditional pasta salad is delicious but I think it's safe to say this pasta salad with upgraded Italian flavors is even better!

It doesn't require an overload of ingredients to really build up flavor, just a generous bowlful of fresh, highly scented basil and some good olive oil.

This pasta salad is easy to make, the pesto is even made in the food processor for a shortcut and the fresh mozzarella already comes pre-cut into tiny pearls.

And you'll love that this pairs well with so many summery grilled meats. I like to serve it with grilled chicken or steak and grilled corn on the cob.

It's adaptable to use other types of pasta and it will actually store well in the fridge for a day (or more if you wait to add the arugula).

Add this one to the dinner menu this week and save any extra for lunch the next day!

A Vibrant Grilled Breast Chicken Recipe

Here you get lightly charred chicken breasts with gorgeous grill marks blanketed with melty mozzarella, vibrantly green basil pesto, and it's highlighted with glistening crowning finish of fresh tomatoes atop. This Italian style recipe is the ultimate upgrade to plain chicken!

Inspired by margherita pizza, chicken margherita is made including those same flavors while being more heavy with the fresh basil (thanks to the plentitude of homemade pesto).

This is a summery chicken dish with gourmet flavor that will undoubtedly impress, yet it doesn't require a whole lot of effort. And if you don't own a grill or if it's too chilly out you can also pan sear the chicken (see note below).

It's fair to say this is most definitely a chicken recipe you don't want to pass by, especially with grilling season upon us. What better way to welcome the warm weather than celebrating it with this flawless chicken margherita?

A Fun Christmas Appetizer Recipe

This eye catching Christmas tree cheese ball is decorated with plenty of earthy green minced fresh parsley, dotted with tiny red tomatoes and yellow bell pepper pieces, its swirled with a ribbon of pine nuts, then finished with a vibrant golden bell pepper star practically shining atop.

It's a holiday classic with a sophisticated upgrade thanks to its enhancements of herby flavors and fresh vegetables (or technically fruits), the welcomed bold white cheddar goodness, a pine nut finish, and its impressive unique appearance. No boring typical rounded shape plus pecan coating here.

And even though it's quite large this savory treat will be devoured in no time. This charming centerpiece will be a highlight of your gathering and a new striking way you'll want to make the holiday cheese ball every year!

A Saucy Pesto Pasta Recipe!

This pasta dish is proof that it doesn't take much to build up dramatic flavor and create a company-worthy dish.

This is one of my favorite ways to make pasta. It's so vibrantly flavorful, it tastes unbelievable fresh, and pesto makes a nutritious pasta sauce choice.

And if you are lucky to have any left the next day it makes an excellent lunch, which doesn't even need to be reheated by the way. Just thin it with a little olive oil and it's like a pesto pasta salad.

Pesto pasta is also very versatile. This is just the base recipe, then from there there are so many different ways you can transform it (see list of ideas below).

I think this easily deserves a spot on the weekly lunch or dinner menu. Especially if you have access to an abundance of fresh basil during summer - it's the best way to use it up!

It's a proud and vibrant sauce that never disappoints!

Homemade Pesto Recipe

This easy basil pesto can come together in just minutes, and the food processor does most of the work!

Never had it before and wondering what it tastes like? It tastes incredibly herby (think strong basil flavor), very fresh, and has quite noticeable garlic undertones. Hints of cheese shine through and the nuts and olive oil more so add body and richness.

This vibrant and beautiful sauce is one of the most flavorful things you'll ever make and eat, yet it uses just a handful of ingredients.

This traditional Italian recipe is a must in your recipe book! And there are countless ways you can use this versatile, healthy pesto.

Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Ways to Use Pesto

• toss with cooked pasta (just about any type, tortellini or gnocchi are excellent options too)
• use as sandwich spread, or turkey burger spread
• toss with salad (and not just green leafy salad)
• spread over pizza
• stick with it as is for a bread dip or mix some into other dips (spinach artichoke dip)
• toss with meatballs 
• toss with vegetables; fresh, roasted, sautéed (tomatoes, potatoes, corn etc)
• add to lasagna
• serve over chicken, beef, lamb or seafood
• make a chicken salad, tuna salad, or pasta salad
• dollop over a bowlful of soup
• add to eggs or a frittata
• bake with it - mix into bread dough and more
• layer over bruschetta

A Must Have Tortellini Recipe!

Three of my favorite things collide here to make one incredible entree you'll want to make again and again!

Cheesy tortellini is always delicious, plus the refrigerated store-bought kind is the perfect shortcut to any meal. Pesto adds fresh flavor to anything and you can never go wrong with a blend of multi-color roasted vegetables.

So let's combined the three to get this truly tasty yet easy to make dish - Tortellini with Pesto and Roasted Vegetables. The whole family will love this and you'll love that it's a great way to pack vegetables into your dinner.

The other great thing about this is that it is basically meal in a bowl so I don't need to worry about making sides to pair with it, although I'm sure no one would be complaining about some fresh garlic bread to go with it. Right?

With all the fresh vegetables in season right now it's the perfect thing to make! A great way to use up those garden fresh vegetables.

Try it soon! It's destined to become a new summertime staple!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Barilla®. All opinions and text are mine.

Easy Vegetarian Pasta Recipe

This simple Mediterranean pasta can be ready in 30 minutes so you just can't go wrong here. We all need a collection of quick and flavorful recipes for those hectic weekdays.

For this sun dried tomato pasta recipe, I used Barilla spaghetti as it's my go-to brand of pasta. It's always such a reliable product, and it turns out perfectly every time! And it's also an integral part of the Mediterranean diet, which incorporates a variety of quality food groups that should be eaten often in reasonable quantities.

It's a delicious base to all your creative pasta creations! It's just one of those comforting foods I can never get enough of.

Spinach Salad with Chicken Sun Dried Tomato and Avocado

This salad layered with plenty of fresh baby spinach, lean grilled chicken breasts, creamy avocados, rich sun dried tomatoes, salty feta, crunchy pine nuts and it's finished with a tangy lemon herb dressing.

After one bite I realized it's been too long since I've made a grilled chicken salad.

Grilled chicken salads are the best - especially when there are avocado included!

Those sun dried tomatoes here really do pack a flavorful punch, which is why you'll only need a small amount.

Normally when I add tomatoes it's like 3 big fresh tomatoes (because I'm obsessed) but here 1/3 cup of the sun dried tomatoes will go a long way.

My husband normally hates tomatoes but he loved this salad and actually requested it again for lunch the next day. Sun dried tomatoes have such a different flavor from fresh.

Ingredients for this Spinach Salad

• Baby spinach
• Chicken breasts, grilled
• Avocado
• Sun dried tomatoes in oil
• Feta cheese, crumbled
• Pine Nuts

Ingredients for the Lemon Herb Dressing

• Olive oil
• Lemon
• Red wine vinegar
• Fresh parsley
• Garlic
• Dried basil and dried oregano
• Honey
• Dijon mustard
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Scroll below for printable recipe.

Is There a Substitute for Pine Nuts?

And you can substitute another nut here for the pine nuts - sliced or slivered almonds or chopped walnuts are a good choice (but chop them so you get more in each bite).

I love the bit of crunch the nuts add to the salad. And do feel free to add more.

How Can I Get Chicken Breasts to Brown Better?

As a side note I found the key to nicely charred chicken breast is a pinch of sugar on each side. Since they are so lean they don't tend to brown well without it.

How I Grill the Chicken for this Recipe

I also like to pound to an even thickness and season with a little garlic powder and of course salt and pepper. Oh and brush with a tiny bit of oil before adding your seasonings.

Then cook on a 425 - 450 degree preheated grill about 4 minutes per side for 8 oz. breasts (or until 165 in center).

Also you may notice it's not much dressing for 4 servings, the first time I made it with more dressing but found it to overwhelmingly oily between the dressing, oily tomatoes and avocado.

So the next time around I cut back and I think the amounts listed for the dressing are just enough.

More Salad Recipes You Might Like

• Caesar Salad
• Grilled Chicken Chopped Salad with Italian Dressing
• Caprese Chicken and Avocado Chopped Salad

Grilled Salmon Fillet with Pesto Sauce

Salmon + Pesto?? Yes! And then let's make that a creamy pesto shall we? I am all about that salmon lately!

What's new though, salmon has always been one of my favorite things to have for dinner.

But honestly could they drop the price just a little? I love though when I make it at home I can feed 4+ people for what it costs to buy it at a restaurant.

And this grilled salmon fillet with a simple creamy pesto is just as good as what you'd buy at a nice restaurant!

Easy Basil Parsley Pesto Recipe

I've been eating pesto on everything lately! It's one of the best ways to add bold, fresh flavors to an entree and it's easy to make. If you haven't tried making it at home yet, you haven't lived yet!

The freshness of homemade basil pesto makes it so much better than store-bought, plus the fact that homemade uses extra-virgin olive oil vs. the canola oil many grocery store brands use.

This is the perfect pesto recipe if you just happen to be planting an herb garden with lots of basil in it this summer (we just planted our first garden — fingers crossed! We'll see how it goes). This recipe does take about three fairly large bunches of basil to make.

Your best bet will be to use a kitchen scale to get the weight of the basil leaves right, because we all pack leaves into cups differently. I did add some parsley to this pesto, but if  you'd prefer you can just use more basil, which I also do on occasion. I do love the blend of the two herbs so usually if I have the parsley I'll always add it in too.

If you're looking to keep your pesto nice and vibrantly green you will need to boil the basil leaves for 5 seconds (fully submerged) then rest in ice water to halt the cooking process and drain (aka quickly blanch it).

This step is completely optional, if I'm not too concerned about the look of the pesto and I don't care if it turns to a dingy-ish green I'll skip this step on occasion, but it is just so nice to keep it in the fridge for a few days and go back to nice vibrantly green pesto.

Just keep in mind blanching removes a bit of the flavor. You can try it both ways and see if you think the blanching is worth it.