An unexpected twist on traditional pasta salads, this Pesto Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Feta is perfect for a Memorial Day barbeque, or just a Sunday dinner
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A simple dish that can be mostly made ahead the day before Pesto Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Feta is always a winner of a dish. It’s already vegetarian friendly, but you can also make some simple changes to make it vegan friendly – namely using a vegan pesto and either cutting out the cheese or using a vegan cheese, and vegan pasta.
Since things on the Covid front are getting a little less restrictive, at least here in the U.S. this would be a great dish to bring to a small, responsible Memorial Day cookout.
Ingredient List
- Pasta - a small shape with lots of ridges for the pesto to hold on to is best.
- Pesto - your favorite jarred pesto works great here
- Feta Cheese - use the block feta in brine for the best flavor
- Grape or Cherry Tomatoes

Tips and Tricks
- Don't use large tomatoes - they are too juicy and will hurt the consistency of the dish.
- Feta Cheese: the kind in brine is leaps and bounds better in flavor and texture than pre-crumbled, so if that's in your budget go with that type. If it's not, pre-crumbled feta is still absolutely delicious.
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How long do leftovers last
Leftovers will last a day or two in an air tight container in the fridge.
How to store the leftovers:
Tomatoes get mushy in the fridge, so try to keep as few tomatoes in the leftovers as possible, and add fresh tomatoes when serving leftovers.

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Pesto Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Feta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces of short pasta such as farfalle bowtie
- ¼-1/3 cup of pre-made pesto start with ¼ cup and add more if you think it needs it
- 3.5 ounces or ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1 pint of cherry tomatoes cut in half
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package directions, then run under cold water to cool it off. You want it mostly cool, but not cold.
- Place the pasta in a large mixing bowl, add the pesto (I generally use store bought pesto for this recipe, but you can definitely make your own if that's your thing) and stir to coat the pasta.
- At this point, cover the bowl and let the pasta chill in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.
- About 30 minutes before you're ready to serve, cut the tomatoes and crumble the feta and stir into the salad.
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