This Creamy Pesto Pasta Salad is the perfect quick and easy summer side dish. Filled with bite-sized pasta, creamy pesto dressing, tomatoes, spinach and mozzarella cheese, it tastes great served with grilled chicken, burgers, kabobs and more.
Creamy Pesto Pasta Salad
Just about any time there is a summer BBQ, this Creamy Pesto Pasta Salad makes an appearance. It’s one of those simple side dishes that goes with absolutely anything and everyone loves it. The creamy pesto dressing is made with pesto and prepared ranch dressing. Feel free to use store-bought pesto, or go ahead and try our easy basil and pine nut Homemade Pesto recipe.
This delicious recipe is very versatile, so you can mix it up depending on what you’ve got in the fridge and what sounds good to you. You can even toss on a little grilled chicken or steak; voila, you’ve turned this cold pesto pasta salad into a full meal.
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What to make with Pasta Salad
If you love pasta salad, be sure to try our Greek Tortellini Pasta Salad, Classic Pasta Salad, Caprese Pasta Salad, and our BLT Pasta Salad. They are just as easy and quick to put together as this one.
Key Ingredients
- Pasta – you can use any dried pasta you’d like. I find bowtie pasta, or farfalle, to be really cute in this recipe. I have also used penne, fusilli, rotini, mostaccioli and macaroni. A protien pasta would work great in this too.
- Ranch Dressing– you can make your own ranch dressing or use your favorite prepared ranch dressing.
- Pesto – use your favorite brand of store bought pesto, or make your own Homemade Fresh Basil Pesto.
- Mozzarella Cheese – most often, I cut mozzarella cheese sticks into small bite-sized pieces. You could also cut pieces from a brick of cheese or use small fresh mozzarella balls.
- Cherry Tomatoes – you can use any color or type of cherry tomatoes. I usually cut them in half so that they are easier to eat.
- Spinach – baby spinach from the bag works great, or you could use large leaf spinach.
How to Make Pesto Ranch Pasta Salad
- Cook the pasta. Cook the pasta until al dente, according to package directions, then run cold water over the cooked pasta to cool.
- Add the veggies and cheese. Place pasta in a large mixing bowl, then add the cherry tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and spinach.
- Make the creamy pesto dressing. In a blender, combine the pesto and ranch dressing mix. Pulse until the ingredients are mixed and creamy, then add the pesto and mix again.
- Mix. Pour the creamy ranch pesto dressing over the pasta and vegetables and mix until everything is evenly coated. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
- Refrigerate. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Enjoy!
Recipe Variations
- Veggies. Add red peppers, olives, cucumbers, celery, sliced zucchini, or pickled pepperoncini.
- Meat. If you want to turn this into a complete meal, try adding grilled chicken for pesto chicken pasta salad. Grilled steak or cubed salami would taste great, too. You can also add some homemade bacon bits for a bacon ranch pasta salad recipe.
- Cheese. You can feel free to switch up the cheese and add something like pepper jack for a little extra zing in this pesto macaroni salad.
Frequently Asked Questions
First of all, you want to be sure and use dry pasta when making pasta salad. Fresh pasta doesn’t hold up nearly as well. Regarding the best shape for pasta salad, you want to choose something smaller with little nooks to hold the creamy pesto sauce. I recommend using farfalle, rotini, macaroni, fusilli or penne.
If you want to make Creamy Pesto Pasta Salad ahead of time, you can do a couple of things. First, you could cook the pasta in advance, mix it with a dash of olive oil so it doesn’t stick, and store it in the fridge for up to 2 days. Or, if you want to make and dress the entire salad the day before, we just suggest holding off on adding the spinach until just before eating so it doesn’t get too wilted.
If you overcook your pasta for pasta salad, it will become too mushy and end up breaking apart when you mix everything together. If you cook it al dente, it will be soft enough to eat but firm enough to hold up well in the salad.
Storing and Make Ahead Instructions
- Refrigerator: store leftover pasta salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Make-Ahead: you can make this salad up to 24 hours in advance, but we suggest leaving the spinach out and adding that last minute. You could also cook the pasta up to 2 days in advance, mix with a dash of olive oil and store it in the fridge.
More Pasta Salad Recipes You’ll Love
Creamy Pesto Pasta Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Pasta Salad Ingredients
- 16 ounces pasta, cooked al dente
- 1½ cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, cubed, pearls, or shredded
- 2 large handfuls spinach
Pesto Ranch Dressing
- 1 cup Ranch Dressing
- 1/4 cup pesto
Instructions
- Cook the pasta until al dente, according to package directions, then run cold water over the cooked pasta to cool. (This recipe is best if you can make the pasta ahead of time and cool the pasta completly in the fridge before making.) Transfer the pasta to a large mixing bowl. Add the cherry tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and spinach.
- In a blender, combine the pesto and ranch dressing and blend.
- Pour half of the creamy ranch pesto dressing over the pasta and vegetables and mix until everything is evenly coated. Add more dressing until coated according to your preference.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve chilled. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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Our Creamy Pesto Salad recipe is made with your favorite pasta noodles, tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and spinach all mixed in a creamy pesto ranch dressing. It’s the perfect ranch macaroni salad with pesto for summer BBQs or any family gatherings.
