Pasta Pesto Salad

 

For this summery light salad you will need to toss together:

300g cooked pasta shapes

200g cherry tomatoes, quartered

200g mozarella, torn into strips

There's penne on the picture, but I personally found that thinner and smaller pasta will work better. Something like farfalle.

After you brought it together, add your pesto and mix well but gentle.

for the pesto:

two handfuls basil leaves (makes about 25g)

2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

half cup ligtly toasted pinenuts (at 170C in the oven, very briefly as they burn fast)

cup finely grated parmesan

enough olive oil to make it moist (about half a cup)

salt and ground black pepper

For a really rustic pesto, just mash and bash ingredients in a mortar: first basil leaves and garlic, then pinenuts; then mix in parmesan and olive oil, season and presto!

But if you prefer finer pesto, process it mechanically before adding parmesan and olive oil.

It smells and tastes so much better than store bought pesto!