Pesto Pasta Salad
Pesto is so easy to make, yet I rarely make it. Last night, however, I made a fantastic pesto pasta salad!
My husband went away and I cooked! It is a miracle!
Here is the backstory.. I was supposed to have dinner with some lovely Philly Foodies, but five minutes before I was supposed to leave I dropped a glass. I guess this was an old glass because it shattered everywhere instead of breaking into only a few pieces. I rarely walk around the house barefoot, but I was *just* about to go put on my heels to leave, and I didn’t realize I didn’t have shoes on. I went to get the vacuum and stepped right in some mini glass shards.
Great.
I had the biggest pity party ever as I cried my eyes out and used tweezers to pick glass out of my foot. Then I punished myself more by pouring alcohol all over cotton pads and cleaning off my foot. Man, that hurt. Since there was still some glass stuck I had to take care of it, and before I knew it is was 8 PM. I missed a fun dinner with friends, and now I was home, sad and cranky.
It wouldn’t be the first time I was a major clutz.
Have you ever experienced something like that? If so, please share.
Anyway, what better way to celebrate my sadness then with a fun dinner. And a beer. I have never in my life had a drink by myself, except for those few times in Italy when I ventured out to aperitivo at my favorite bar. Last night needed one. I love wine and beer but for some reason I have to be in a celebratory mood to drink it. I suppose the opposite mood can make a beer thirst appear too.
Blue Moon in tow, I began rummaging around the kitchen. The end result was surprisingly fantastic and I can’t wait to make it for PB, who normally dislikes pesto. This is really just a pesto-like sauce, but I could just as easily call it a basil feta sauce. I used the Barilla piccolini pasta because it makes a portion seem bigger than it really is, and mind tricks work for me. This pesto pasta salad came out of nowhere. And it was good.
Pesto Pasta Salad
Serves 1 pity party
Ingredients:
2 oz Barilla piccolini penne
1/2 heirloom tomato, diced
5 kalamata olives
large handful fresh basil leaves (app. 15 leaves)
1 oz + 1 tbs Athenos feta
1 tbs freshly grated parmigiano reggiano
1-3 tbs water
1 tbs walnuts
1 tbs light olive oil
Directions:
Cook pasta according to al dente package directions. While it is cooking, put the basil leaves, 1 oz Athenos feta, parmigiano reggiano, walnuts, and 1 tbs olive oil in a food processor. Pulse until the leaves are medium fine. Add 1-3 tbs water and pulse until the mixture is a bit loose. Set aside. Place the tomato, olives, and 1 tbs feta at the bottom of a bowl. Drain the pasta when cooked and add directly to the bowl. Top with the pesto from the food processor and mix until combined. Enjoy!
*****
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Oh I totally would have had a big pity party for myself as well.I have done things like broken huge vases when my husband is gone and I just lose it.
pesto is one of my favorite ingredients ever…it’s incredible and versatile and amazing 🙂
This is all too familiar with me – I’m afraid I drop things and breaks things on the regular. A time that comes to mind- last Christmas morning with my fiance’s family and I offered to make the pot of coffee. I was carrying the glass coffee pot to the sink to fill with water and just smashed it into the faucet – shattering into a million little glass pieces in the sink…and down the drain. And then we couldn’t make a pot of coffee! Thankfully they love me and forgave me…and had a 1-cup coffee maker we used instead. I bought them a new coffee pot as a late Christmas present. 🙂
@Dorry, OH NO! That story just made me feel so much better. I am happy to hear I am not alone.
I made pesto last night too! A co-worker gave me a HUGE bag of basil, so it was a no-brainer! Question, I added chia seed gel to mine, and it got brown (like guacamole does) after sitting out for like 2 seconds – is this normal, or do you think it was due to the chia seeds?
I really liked the slight crunch from the chia, as well as the added nutrients, but the color kind of turned me off!
@Carla, Hi! You are lucky with a huge bag of basil. I bought the tiniest bunch for $4 from a farm market in upstate NY. Pesto does usually change color- it’s from the basil. What I usually do is keep it covered with plastic wrap (directly on the pesto) like I would do with guacamole. Also, keeping it in a narrow tall container is good because then only the very top of it will change color.
Oh my gosh, I never could have survived that experience alone! I’m such a wuss. Props to you for getting the glass out…ouuuuch! And mmm, that pesto dish sounds fab!
Oh man, there’s NOTHING worse than glass in your foot!! I actually did something similar a few years ago, and thought I had gotten all the glass out of my foot– but my foot kept hurting! Turns out, there was a LONG shard stuck way up in my foot– and I had to get it surgically removed! Holy cow, talk about a pity party.
Glad you at least had a tasty dinner! 🙂
Man, first Serena Williams and now you. =( That sucks.
@Stephanie, Serena Williams stepped on glass? Going to google it now!
Oh that would stink so BAD! I can’t believe that happened. At least you got a good recipe out of it. Finding the bright side. It’s what I do. LOL
Aww…sorry about your foot! That really stinks. Hope it’s feeling better. I once got myself into a mean game a Scrabble. I was carefully studying my letters when I tipped right over onto the Scrabble board and got a wooden tile lodged into my forehead. I had to have it butterflied shut. Not pretty. I feel your pain. Glad you had a tasty dinner at home!
FETA IS AWESOME! LOVE FETA FOR LIFE! 🙂 This sounds realllly gooooooooodddd!!!!
OH, that sounds so terrible, hope it wasn’t bad and that you were able to get all the glass out without having to go to the doctor. If you do still feel something, go see doctor!
Anyway, thanks for sharing this! 🙂
monica78k@hotmail.com
I love pesto and feta, but I am wondering about the portions, 2oz of pasta would not work in my family, I usually cook 8 to 10 oz. Should I double, triple the ingredients?
@Esther, If I was making this for a larger group I would probably double the pesto recipe and add some crushed tomatoes to up the volume a bit. And more fresh tomato!
Thank you : )
Hmm, I’d make a tabouleh salad with:
athenos low fat feta (chunked out of a whole cube since it tastes better than pre crumbled), bulgar, parsley, lemon juice, whole pitted black olives, purple onions diced, diced cucumbers, and halved grape tomatoes, few dashs of EVOO to your liking, s&p! Voila.
I would make an orzo pasta salad using garlic, diced tomatoes, feta, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, fresh basil and peas. The peas add a little pop when you eat the salad, make it look pretty and is a different twist.
Yikes!!!! Sorry to hear about your foot. Salad look yummy though.
“Serves one pity party” He he!!!