Time: 20 min.
Complexity: easily
Servings: 6 - 8

This pasta salad combines the most traditional flavors of Italian cuisine: tomato, basil, and cheese. Toss the cooked pasta with a pesto dressing and lemon zest for an even more vibrant flavor. Add grape or cherry tomatoes and ricotta salata cheese; it's saltier than regular ricotta, so if you substitute mozzarella, just add more salt to the salad. This salad keeps well outside the refrigerator for several hours and is perfect for picnics or as a side dish with grilled meats.

Ingredients:

• 450 g of cavatappi (corkscrew) pasta or medium shells
• Coarse salt
• 1 tbsp. pesto sauce
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 350g ricotta salata cheese, chopped and crumbled, or 450g mini mozzarella balls, halved
• Black pepper

Substituting ingredients
Measuring containers used

1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Recipes with similar ingredients

cavatappi pasta, pesto sauce, grape tomatoes, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, lemon juice, green onions, parsley

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Preparation:

Step 1
• Pour water into a large saucepan and bring to a boil, add salt.
Step 2
• In a large salad bowl, place pesto, lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley, tomatoes, green onions and ricotta.
Step 3
• Cook the pasta until al dente and rinse under cold running water. Drain well.
Step 4
• Transfer the pasta to a salad bowl with the remaining ingredients. Toss the salad and season with salt and pepper to taste.

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