Linguine Salad With Pesto Dressing
This Italian linguine salad offers pure la dolce vita in a bowl. Perfect for large gatherings as the salad can be made well in advance.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 255kcal
Ingredients
- 8 oz linguine fresh or dried
- 1 cup arugula washed, dried
- 1 red bell pepper finely sliced
- 1 small red onion finely sliced
- 1/2 English cucumber thin ribbons
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/4 cup black olives halved
Pesto Salad Dressing
- 3/4 cup pesto
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar extra virgin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper ground
Toppings
- 1/4 cup feta cheese crumbed
- 3 tbsp toasted pine nuts
Instructions
- Cook linguine following the package directions until al dente. Rinse it under cold water and drain any excess water.8 oz linguine
- In a large bowl, combine cooked linguine, arugula, chopped veggies, and black olives.1 cup arugula, 1 red bell pepper, 1 small red onion, 1/2 English cucumber, 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, 1/4 cup black olives
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together pesto, white wine vinegar, salt, and pepper to create the dressing. Season to taste.3/4 cup pesto, 1/4 cup white wine vinegar, 1 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp black pepper
- Pour 2/3 of the dressing over the salad mixture and toss until well coated.
- Arrange the salad on a large serving platter. Add crumbed feta cheese and toasted pine nuts on top of the salad.1/4 cup feta cheese, 3 tbsp toasted pine nuts
- Serve or refrigerate for a few hours to let the flavors meld together.
Video
Notes
Pasta al dente: Make sure to cook the linguine just until al dente to prevent it from becoming mushy in the salad.
Rinse pasta: After cooking, rinse the pasta under cold water to stop the cooking process and ensure it stays firm. I know some Italians will scream at this point!
Pesto dressing: Depending on the pesto you're using you might need to adjust it to taste with salt, pepper to balance out the flavors. The salad dressing needs to be quite intense to adequately flavor the large amount of salad ingredients.
Drizzle the remaining 1/3 of a cup of pesto dressing over the salad just before serving if you prefer more sauce.
Nutrition
Calories: 255kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 633mg | Potassium: 202mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1097IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 82mg | Iron: 1mg
