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Holiday Pesto Pasta Salad


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  • Author: She Likes Food
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 4-6 1x
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Description

This red and green Holiday Pesto Pasta Salad is the perfect, make-ahead, recipe that can be enjoyed warm or chilled.  This simple, yet flavorful, pasta salad is packed with tangy balsamic sweet peppers and creamy mozzarella pearls.  This festive salad is perfect to bring to a Christmas or New Year’s potluck!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 lb bowtie pasta, or your favorite bite sized pasta
  • 1 (1 lb) bag mini sweet peppers, washed and dried
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 cup pesto sauce, store-bought or homemade
  • 1 (8 oz) container mozzarella pearls, I like to cut each one in half, or in quarters, so you get some in each bite.
  • 3 teaspoons olive oil
  • Salt and black pepper, to taste
  • Fresh herbs for garnish, if desired (I used parsley)

Instructions

  1. Heat a large pot of water until boiling.  Add in your pasta, with a big pinch of salt, and cook according to package directions.  Once pasta is finished cooking, drain and pour into a large mixing bowl.  I like to mix a little bit of oil into the cooked pasta so that it doesn’t stick together while it is cooling.*
  2. Thinly slice the sweet peppers into rounds.  Heat a large pan over medium heat and add 2-3 teaspoons olive oil, the sliced peppers and a pinch of salt.  Mix everything together and cook peppers until softened and starting to brown, about 10 minutes, and then add in the balsamic vinegar.  Mix again and cook peppers with the balsamic for another 5-7 minutes, until the balsamic vinegar has thickened and coats the peppers.
  3. Add the pesto sauce to the cooled pasta and mix until completely combined.  Next, add in the balsamic sweet peppers and the diced up mozzarella pears.  Mix everything together again and season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Enjoy room temperature or chilled.

Notes

*You can also rinse the cooked pasta under cold water for a minute to cool it down and prevent it from sticking together.

  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 20 mins
  • Category: Vegetarian, Pasta
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American