Pesto Pasta Salad

Pesto Pasta Salad - delicious vegetarian pasta salad recipe with pesto, bow tie pasta, spinach and lemon. Perfect to pack into a jar for a picnic!

Serve this delicious pasta salad with our Easy Grilled Chicken or 2-Ingredient Flatbread.

I am so excited to share this recipe for a pasta salad with you today, as it has been my favorite lunch lately! The flavors are so fresh and delicious - so good on hot summer days. This pasta salad is perfect for summer! It's easy to make (you can make it ahead of time and keep in the fridge) AND absolutely delicious and full of fresh flavors. Pesto, bow tie pasta, spinach, cannellini beans, lemon zest and Parmesan are all you need to stir up this salad. At our house, it replaces the hot and steaming mac and cheese during summer.

Ingredients:

• pesto
• pasta (I used bow tie)
• cannellini beans
• spinach
• lemon
• Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

• Cook pasta and cool completely.
• Place pasta in a bowl. Stir in spinach, beans, and pesto.
• Drizzle lemon juice over the salad. Add Parmesan and stir everything together.
• Serve right away or store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Storing:

Prepare this salad and store in a jar or a container with lid, in the fridge for up to 2 days. You can add the spinach just before serving.

More delicious pasta salad recipes:

• BLT Pasta Salad
• Deviled Egg Macaroni Salad
• Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

If you like this recipe and try it, snap a photo and share it on INSTAGRAM! Tag me @crunchycreamysweet ! I'd love to see what's happening in your kitchen! 

Pesto Pasta Salad

Author: Anna

Delicious pasta salad recipe with pesto, bow tie pasta, spinach and lemon. Perfect to pack into a jar for a picnic! Great meal prep idea for light dinner or lunch!

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Servings 2 people

Calories 511 kcal

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1.5 cup bow tie pasta cooked according to manufacturer instructions
• ▢ 1 can cannellini beans drained and rinsed
• ▢ 1.5 cup fresh spinach
• ▢ ½ cup pesto homemade or store-bought
• ▢ 1 lemon zest
• ▢ ½ cup Parmesan cheese optional

Instructions

 

• Cook pasta according to instructions on box. Drain and cool to room temperature. (See notes for refrigerating at this step).
• Add beans, lemon zest and pesto and stir in until incorporated. Add spinach and gently toss together.
• Serve immediately or divide into containers.
• Keep for up to 3 days.

Notes

If making the pasta a day ahead, cool to room temperature. Add 1 Tablespoon olive oil and 2 teaspoons lemon juice and stir in. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Nutrition

Calories: 511kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 1001mg | Potassium: 248mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 3555IU | Vitamin C: 10.2mg | Calcium: 428mg | Iron: 1.8mg

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This post was originally published on June 22nd, 2015 and updated on June 5th, 2019.