Description
A fresh cold long fusilli pasta salad. With fresh sweet pea pesto sauce, asparagus, vine tomatoes, mozzerella ciliegine, and basil chiffonade.
Ingredients
Scale
What you will need
- large pot for boiling water
- medium saute pan
- strainer
- large mixing bowl
- tongs
- sharp knife
- cutting board
The Pesto
- 1 cup fresh or frozen green sweet peas
- 1 small clove garlic
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- salt and pepper
The Pasta Salad
- 16 ounces dry long fusillu pasta
- 8 ounces Ciliegine BelGioioso Mozzarella
- 9–10 thick asparagus stalks
- 9 onces cherry tomatoes on the vine, whole
- chiffonade a hand full of fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 lemon
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot filled water and 2 tablespoons of salt, to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Strain and rinse with cold water to halt the cooking. Set aside.
- Cut the asparagus in 2-3 inch pieces, and removing the woody ends.
- Add two tablespoons of olive to a saute pan and saute the asparagus until slightly softened but still firm. You’ll want to cook them just enough to penetrate the outer surface. You don’t want the asparagus to be soft or mushy. Tip: Add a few table spoons of water to the pan and quickly cover to flash steam them. The saute should only take only a few minutes. Remove from heat and place asparagus on a plate. Set aside.
- Add the pesto ingredients to a small food processor and mix until it becomes a paste. Add more olive oil if too thick.
- Toss the pasta and pesto together in a large mixing bowl. Seasoning as you go along. Remember the pasta water should be well salted. So you wont need to add too much more salt.
- Toss in the rinsed vine cherry tomatos, mozarella balls and asparagus.
- Add the juice of one lemon and drizzle with olive oil.
- Scatter basil chiffonade over the top. Season to taste.
- ENJOY!
Notes
- To chiffonade the basil, roll up 3-4 large leaves and chop across creating ribbons of chopped basil.
- It’s traditional to salt your pasta water like the ocean, but if you need low sodium, you can skip that step and salt later.
Keywords: Sweet Pea Pesto Pasta Salad