Well hello there. Happy Friday (or whatever day you are reading this)!
Today’s recipe is a simple and easy pasta salad that’s full of delicious, flavourful, fresh vegetables in the form of crunchy, sweet bell peppers, juicy cherry tomatoes, buttery avocado, and mildly spicy red onions!
Combine it with a homemade creamy basil avocado pesto, which is so herbaceous, bright, and rich in flavour. Toss in some salty, tangy feta cheese with the cold pasta and you’ve got such a yummy dish!
I used a tricoloured bowtie (farfalle) pasta, but a rotini, penne, or macaroni (okay, whatever you want) would be a great alternative pasta shape. I also used bowtie pasta for my last pasta salad recipe: Broccoli Cheddar Pasta Salad with Homemade Tangy Italian Vinaigrette (link).
I love that this recipe is so adaptable and scalable such that you can make more or less and with the vegetables you have on hand that you think will go well in this pasta salad.
Basically, it’s a super tasty vegetarian side dish (remove the cheese and it’s vegan) that is perfect for a summer cookout or even as a filling meal! Leftovers the next day are amazing!
Plus you don’t need to turn on the oven, which is awesome for those hot summer days where you don't want to heat up the house. I hope you enjoy this recipe!
Using a food processor or a blender, blend up the pesto ingredients.
Creamy fresh basil avocado pesto!
As the pasta cooks, chop up and measure out your vegetables and feta cheese.
Run the cooked pasta under cold water to stop the cooking process and then place the ingredients in a large bowl.
Top it with the pesto and toss to combine!
Serve it right away or cover and chill in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve it. Enjoy!