Primavera Pesto Pasta Salad

This Primavera Pesto Pasta Salad is teeming with colorful veggies like roasted cauliflower, bell peppers and cherry tomatoes. It has a vegan arugula and cashew pesto that is peppery, lemony and super creamy. Tangy calamari olives and fire roasted corn plus fresh parsley produce a balance of flavors that is delectable. This vegan pasta salad is sure to be a favorite for any picnic, summer barbecue or even just for tasty work lunches for the week.

Why is this the best Spring Pesto Salad

This primavera pesto pasta salad is perfect for Spring! The pesto is made with creamy cashews and peppery arugula and the salad is packed with veggies. We utilize a bevy of fresh raw veggies, roasted veggies and frozen corn to pack tons of flavor and texture into this pasta salad. The flavors are balanced by adding fresh parsley, tangy olives and sweet corn. The pesto is creamy, garlicky and peppery. It really is a feast for the palette as well as the eyes. Make it for meal prep, a Memorial Day cookout or bust it out in the Summer when the garden produce is popping. I like to make this one in early Spring when I am craving something green but still want hearty foods.

What is pesto?

Pesto is a delightful Italian sauce that is made by blending herbs with nuts, olive oil and parmesan cheese. It is delicious in pasta dishes, on sandwiches or breakfast toasts, in omelets or on pizza. Like I always say, "Pesto is the best-o". Vegan pesto is really easy to make and you hardly miss the cheese. I have several versions of pesto on the blog, on social media and in my meal planner app. They are always a fave. Pesto is intensely flavorful and slightly spicy. It can be made nut-free easily by omitting the nuts or replacing them with hemp seeds or sunflower seeds.

Ingredients for Primavera Pesto Pasta Salad

The ingredients for this pasta salad recipe are fairly basic. The only one that may be hard to find is purple cauliflower. I found it at Whole Foods. However, the taste will not be altered if you replace it with regular white cauliflower. I just love the purple one because, well, purple! Purple food is such a novelty that I always pick some up when I see it in the market. Also if baby bell peppers are hard to find, you may use the large variety instead. If you are not an arugula fan, replace it with basil. This pesto is extremely versatile. For extra protein and cheesy flavor, throw in a couple tablespoons of nutritional yeast.

Ingredients for the Pasta Salad

• Rotini- Rotini or fusilli pasta is best for a pasta salad with pesto as these shapes have lots of surface for the pesto sauce to cling to!
• Purple cauliflower- Purple cauliflower tastes the same as white cauliflower. Feel free to swap it for whatever color you have available. Roasted cauliflower gives this vegan pasta salad extra flavor, bulk and vitamins.
• Frozen fire roasted corn- Frozen corn is an awesome pantry staple to have in the freezer. If fire roasted is unavailable you can simply use sweet corn. Or if you love to cook and are motivated, char the sweet corn in a pan first to get the smoky flavor popping!
• Kalamata olives- Greek calamari olives are my favorite because they are really tangy and flavorful. Use whatever kind you have or use a variety of green olives and black olives for fun.
• Cherry tomatoes- When given a choice, I will always choose cherry tomatoes over any other type. They are so sweet and flavorful even when not in peak season. I also like that they do not break down as quickly as larger tomatoes do. If you must use diced large tomatoes be warned that the shelf life of this salad will be about a day shorter.
• Baby bell peppers- If you are a regular at Betterfoodguru you will know that I always use baby bell peppers. That is because they are sweet, colorful and they last longer in the refrigerator. If you cannot find sweet baby bell peppers, use large sized ones. One large bell pepper is equivalent to 3-4 baby bell peppers.
• Parsley-Fresh parsley balances out the bold flavors of the pesto. I won't lie and say that it totally wipes out the garlic breath but it does make it milder!

For the Cashew, Arugula Pesto

• Garlic- Garlic is always one of the dominant flavors of any pesto! It is so pungent, distinct and delicious. Any garlic lover knows what I am talking about!
• Extra Virgin Olive oil- Most pestos use olive oil to blend the ingredients and thin out a pesto sauce. Some pestos go way overboard on the oil! This one is not oily and uses just enough to make the ingredients smooth and creamy in a blender.
• Cashews- For this vegan pesto we use creamy cashews (if you have a nut allergy, replace these with hempseed or sunflower seeds. Cashews make this super creamy and decadent.
• Lemon- The citrusy zing of lemon makes a dairy free pesto delicious.
• Arugula- If you have never tried arugula in pesto, are you really living? Arugula has such a distinct, peppery bite that is perfect for pesto. Blended with the pungent garlic, lemon juice and cashews the flavor profile is to die for.
• Basil- Basil has such a punch of flavor and balances out this vegan pesto pasta salad.

How to Make Primavera Pesto Pasta Salad

This is a simple and straightforward recipe with a few steps. It is fairly quick and easy if you can time it properly.

• Roast the cauliflower- The florets are simply roasted in the oven on a sheet pan.
• Cook the pasta- This step is easy and is done while preparing the salad.
• Make the pesto- Simply add all pesto ingredients to the blender and puree until smooth.
• Prepare the salad- Chop the salad ingredients and defrost the corn.
• Toss the salad- Add cooked pasta, roasted and raw veggies and pesto to a large bowl and toss well. Easy peasy.
• Garnish and Enjoy - Once the pasta salad is finished, garnish it with dusted cashews, parsley and copious pepper.

Tips for making the best pasta salads

• First, always choose ripe and fresh produce. Make sure the herbs are not wilted and the produce is not ready to turn. Fresh is best in salads. Iffy produce is for soups.
• Second, always choose a pasta with a visual interest and a great texture. Cook it al dente and always rinse and drain it well. Water is the enemy of flavor in a salad. That is what my mentor Janice Chapler always told me. And she was right because water, waters down the dressing which dilutes the flavor. Since pasta salads are inherently great for meal prep, it is especially important to keep those flavors popping.
• You need the proper tools for the best salads! Sharp knives, peelers, quality cutting boards all contribute to a kick-ass salad. Also you need a great blender to make pestos and dressings.

Other delicious Vegan Pesto Recipes

• Kale Pesto Pasta Salad
• Orzo Primavera Pasta Salad
• Vegan Pesto Guest Blog