Basil Pesto Pasta Recipe

A simple, kid-friendly recipe designed for cooking together and sharing with the community. We prepared this as a cold salad.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 1 lb dry pasta (rotini, penne, or shells)

• ½ cup basil pesto

• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

• 1 cup peas (thawed if frozen)

• 1½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved

• 2–3 Tbsp olive oil (optional)

• Salt to taste (optional)
  

Instructions

• Cook pasta in well-salted water until just tender. Drain and let cool completely (or rinse with cold water to speed up this process.

• Transfer cooled pasta to a large bowl.

• Add pesto and Parmesan and stir until evenly coated.

• Gently fold in peas and cherry tomatoes.

• Add olive oil if the salad looks dry.

• Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

• Serve cold or refrigerate until ready to share.
  

Storage & Sharing

• Keeps 3–4 days refrigerated. Designed to be eaten cold and to travel well for community sharing.
  

Substitutions

• Make it vegan: Skip the Parmesan cheese. Add 2–3 tablespoons nutritional yeast or a dairy-free Parmesan alternative. Make sure your pesto is dairy-free (or swap in a simple basil–olive oil–garlic blend).

• For animal protein: Stir in cooled, chopped grilled chicken breast. About 1–1½ cups per batch. Add after the pasta has fully cooled. If you choose to add meat, we encourage using humanely raised, pasture-based, or regeneratively produced meat whenever possible. Please avoid supporting industrial or factory animal agriculture, which causes significant harm to animals, ecosystems, and rural communities. Know your farmer, and support local farms whenever possible!