With school back underway, I love to have pasta salad or other hearty salads that I can make on Sunday and have ready to go in the fridge all week long. These types of dishes hold up really well in the lunch box (pictured below) and are great to grab and go for adult/work lunches as well. We’re big fans of pesto in our house, so this twist with red peppers felt like a great way to switch things up!

Pasta Salad with Red Pepper Pesto
5 from 1 vote

Course: Lunch, Salads, Sides

Cuisine: Italian

Dietary Restriction: Egg Free, Vegetarian

Servings (Adjust to suit): 6

Ingredients

For the pesto

3/4 cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup pimentos, (a.k.a. roasted red peppers), with juice
1/3 cup raw almonds
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
pepper, to taste

For the salad

2 1/4 cups whole-wheat orzo pasta, (dry) cooked according to package directions and cooled
2 cups sliced fresh spinach leaves
8 ounces cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

Instructions

In a food processor or blender combine the pesto ingredients including the basil, Parmesan, pimentos, almonds, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper, and blend until smooth.
Toss pesto together with the cooked pasta, spinach, and cherry tomatoes in a big bowl until well combined. Serve or cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days.

Recipe Notes

We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.

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Comments

Elizabeth
September 17, 2018 at 2:20 pm

I’ve had a hard time finding whole wheat orzo. Even shopping online seems to yield only very expensive options. Could you provide a brand and where we buy it? Thanks!

- Becky
  September 18, 2018 at 7:41 pm
  
  Delallo sells it here in CA at Sprouts
  
- Lisa
  September 25, 2018 at 4:03 pm
  
  There are some options on Amazon or you could substitute with a different (small) pasta if you’d like.
  
2pots2cook
September 19, 2018 at 9:41 am

Perfect office lunch ! Thank you !

- Lisa
  September 25, 2018 at 4:02 pm
  
  You are welcome!
  
Maureen Petru
September 19, 2018 at 12:21 pm

Should the almonds have the skins removed?

- Lisa
  September 25, 2018 at 4:01 pm
  
  Not necessary!
  
xender
September 20, 2018 at 8:25 am

Amazing blog! thanks for sharing this.

Kristin
September 24, 2018 at 9:36 am

Hi,
What could be a possible replacement for the almonds?

- Lisa
  September 25, 2018 at 4:02 pm
  
  Pine nuts or walnuts!

Pasta Salad with Red Pepper Pesto