Pesto Pasta Salad with Chicken

Pesto is one of those sauces where the quality of your ingredients really shines through, but it’s also incredibly forgiving when it comes to substitutions. Traditionally, pesto is made with pine nuts, but I’ll be honest: I almost always use whatever nuts I have on hand. For these photos, that meant pistachios, which add a slightly sweeter, more vibrant green color to the finished pesto. Use what you love or what’s in your pantry. The result will still be delicious. Here’s what you’ll need, plus a few substitutions:

• Pasta: With four kids at my house, I’m always looking for ways to mix up meal time. Enter, ring-shaped Anellini pasta! They’re also the star of my Homemade SpaghettiOs. However, any ol’ pasta will do so reach for whatever you have stashed in your pantry.
• Basil: Rinse the basil leaves under cool water to remove any dirt. Gently pat them dry with a paper towel or a clean kitchen towel to remove excess moisture. Wet basil leaves can dilute the pesto and affect its texture so it’s important to thoroughly dry them.
• Cheese: I used grated Parmesan cheese but any hard-grating cheese, such as asiago, Manchego, Pecorino Romano or Grana Padano can all be used.
• Garlic: Instead of adding whole garlic cloves to the food processor or blender, roughly chop them first. This helps distribute the garlic flavor more evenly throughout the pesto.
• Pine nuts: Toasting the pine nuts before adding them to the pesto enhances their nutty flavor. Place the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium-low heat and toast them until they turn golden brown. Keep an eye on them as they can quickly burn! Other nuts, such as walnuts, pistachios or almonds, can all be substituted.
• Extra-virgin olive oil: Since this is the main flavor carrier in the pesto, it’s worth using one you actually enjoy the taste of. My go-to brand is Kosterina.
• Cherry tomatoes: I love the pop of sweetness they add against the garlicky pesto.
• Mini mozzarella balls: Also called ciliegine, these add a creamy, fresh bite throughout the salad. If you can’t find the mini size, regular fresh mozzarella cut into small cubes works just as well.
• Protein of choice: I used leftover cubed poached chicken breasts that I had on hand, but store-bought rotisserie chicken, pan-seared salmon, shrimp or even stovetop steak would all be delicious paired with this pasta salad. Prefer to keep it vegetarian? Simply omit the chicken. Chickpeas would be a delicious swap for added protein.

Homemade Pesto

In my family, we call this pesto “green gold,” and once you taste it, you’ll understand why. It’s herbaceous, garlicky and once you make a batch, you’ll find reasons to put it on everything (looking at you, pesto eggs!).

Best of all, making homemade pesto is easy and comes together in just a few minutes in a food processor or blender. Start by pulsing the basil, Parmesan, garlic and toasted pine nuts together until everything is medium-to-finely chopped. Like this:

Then, with the machine still running, slowly stream in the olive oil. Streaming it in slowly (rather than dumping it all in at once) is what creates that smooth, emulsified texture. Scrape down the sides as needed, taste and adjust with salt and pepper, and voila! You have the perfect dressing for tossing with pasta.

This recipe makes about 1 cup of pesto, more than enough to coat every noodle with flavor to spare.

My #1 Tip for Pesto Pasta Salad Success

Before you drain the pasta, scoop out about ¼ cup of that hot, starchy water and set it aside. Once you’ve tossed the pasta with the pesto, add a splash of that reserved water to the bowl. The starch in the water helps loosen the pesto so it coats every piece of pasta evenly instead of clumping in spots. It’s the same trick I use in my cacio e pepe pasta and chicken tortellini alfredo.

Place the warm pasta and cubed chicken in a large bowl, pour the pesto over the top and toss until everything is evenly coated. Fold in the cherry tomatoes and mozzarella last, then top with extra grated Parmesan before serving.

As the pasta salad sits, it will continue to absorb the pesto, so if you’re making this ahead to serve tomorrow, I recommend drizzling with a little olive oil and giving it a toss to loosen everything right back up.