Summer Pasta Salad with Parsley Pesto
A flavorful summer pasta salad with zucchini and yellow summer squash tossed in a bright parsley pesto — great for a potluck or an easy everyday meal.
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Servings:
Ingredients
- 1 packed cup parsley leaves
- basil leaves several, optional
- ¼ cup toasted pine nuts or ½ cup walnut halves toasted or not
- juice of ½ lemon plus more, to taste
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 to 8 ounces penne pasta or other, preferably whole grain
- 2 medium-small zucchini quartered lengthwise and sliced
- 1 medium-small yellow summer squash cut to match zucchini
- ½ medium red bell pepper finely diced
- ⅓ cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 to 2 scallions thinly sliced
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- dried hot red pepper flakes optional
- 1 cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes or so
Instructions
- Combine the parsley, basil, pine nuts or walnuts, lemon juice, and olive oil in a food processor along with ¼ cup water, and process until the mixture is coarsely and evenly pureed. Set aside.
- Cook the pasta in plenty of rapidly simmering water until al dente. Just before draining it, add the squashes to the water, and simmer for a minute or so. Drain and rinse the pasta and squashes under cool water, then drain well again.
- Combine the squash and pasta mixture in a large serving bowl with the bell pepper, dried tomatoes, and scallions. Add the pesto and toss well.
- Season with salt and pepper, and add a bit of heat with red pepper flakes if you'd like. Add a bit more lemon juice if you'd like — a combination of lemon juice and salt, judiciously added, helps bring up the flavor.
- Scatter the cherry tomato halves over the top and serve.
Notes
You can reverse this and use two yellow squashes and one zucchini, or one of each plus another kind of tender summer squash like pattypan.
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