This pesto pasta salad with sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and basil couldn’t be much easier! It’s ready in less than 15 minutes! And it’s packed with Mediterranean flavors, which makes it perfect for summer. 

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you probably know that I’m a big fan of pasta salads. Especially in the summer they make such a great side dish! 

This Pesto Pasta Salad Is: 

• super easy to make
• ready in less than 15 minutes
• perfect for your next BBQ, potluck, or picnic
• vegan
• gluten-free (if using brown rice spaghetti)
• so yummy

What You Need For This Pesto Pasta Salad

You don’t need many ingredients for this pesto pasta salad! The only thing that might be a bit harder to find is the vegan pesto.  

You need: 

• spaghetti 
• pesto rosso/ red pesto (make sure it’s vegan or use homemade vegan pesto) 
• sun-dried tomatoes in oil
• artichoke hearts in oil
• pine nuts
• lemon juice
• salt
• pepper
• fresh basil

As always, you can find the full ingredient list and the recipe instructions in a separate recipe box at the end of this post. 

How To Make Pesto Pasta Salad

The preparation of this spaghetti pasta salad couldn’t be much easier! It’s ready in less than 15 minutes and doesn’t require much work. 

STEP 1: Cook the spaghetti according to the instructions on the package. Rinse with cold water after cooking and set aside. 

STEP 2: In the meantime, roughly chop the sun-dried tomatoes and the artichokes. 

STEP 3: Put the pine nuts in a frying pan without oil and cook them over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Stir them frequently until they’re golden. Make sure not to cook them for too long as they burn easily. 

STEP 4: Roughly chop the basil or rip it by hand. 

STEP 5: In a large bowl, combine the cooked spaghetti with the pesto, the sun-dried tomatoes, and the artichokes. Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the chopped basil and the roasted pine nuts. 

Recipe Notes 

• I used store-bought vegan red pesto for my pesto pasta salad. Check out your local health food store for vegan pesto options. If you can’t find it, you could of course also make your own vegan pesto with sun-dried tomatoes. 
• If you want to change up the recipe a bit, you could also use my vegan pesto with basil instead of the pesto rosso. 
• You can either use regular spaghetti for this pasta salad or whole wheat spaghetti. For a gluten-free version I recommend using brown rice spaghetti. 
• It’s important to rinse the spaghetti after cooking. This way the cooking process will be stopped immediately and they won’t become too mushy for the pasta salad. And it’s also an easy way to quickly bring down the temperature of the pasta. Besides, it also helps that the pasta doesn’t become gummy and clump together. 
• I absolutely love this pesto pasta salad in the summer, but you could also serve it warm as a pasta dish. Maybe even sprinkle it with some vegan Parmesan. 
• If you’re not a fan of spaghetti pasta salad because you think it’s too hard to eat, you could of course also use short pasta like penne or rotini.

Possible Add-Ins:

Do you want to change up the recipe a bit by adding more ingredients? Here are some great ideas!

You could add:

• black olives
• cherry tomatoes 
• baby spinach or baby arugula 
• chickpeas
• vegan feta cheese (you can find the recipe in this post) 

Can You Make Pesto Pasta Salad Ahead?

Yes, you can easily make this pesto pasta salad the night before. I think it’s best when served soon after making, but if you store it in the fridge it will keep for several days. You might want to add some fresh basil when serving it.

The pasta will also absorb some of the pesto and become a bit dry. So it’s a good idea to have some leftover pesto, so you can add some more before serving. 

How Long Does This Pesto Pasta Salad Keep? 

When stored in an airtight container in the fridge, this pasta salad lasts for about 3-5 days. 

More Delicious Recipes You Might Like:

• Southwestern Pasta Salad 
• Taco Pasta Salad
• Mediterranean Pasta Salad
• Pesto Gnocchi 
• Greek Pasta Salad 
• California Pasta Salad 
• Easy Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Basil 
• Asparagus Pasta Salad 
• 15 Amazing Vegan Pasta Salad Recipes 

I LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU GUYS!

I hope you like this spaghetti pasta salad as much as we do around here.

If you give it a try, I’d love to know what you think about it. Just leave me a comment and a star rating below. Your comments really make my day!

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Sina