This Pistachio Pesto Pasta Salad with parsley and pistachios is the perfect gluten-free, vegetarian picnic food or BBQ side dish. Made with just a handful of ingredients, you’ll have this ready in no time.
Whether you’d like to serve this pistachio pesto pasta salad as a main dish or side dish, this pasta salad is perfect for any occasion. Growing up, my dad made a lot of homemade pesto but without the cheese due to my mom’s dislike of cheese so trust me when I say I’ve nailed down a delicious dairy-free pesto! You won’t even notice that the cheese is missing!
Table of contents
Why This Recipe Works
You’re going to love just how easy it is to make this pistachio pesto pasta salad. On top of ease, this pasta is also:
- Vegan-friendly
- Meal prep friendly
- Can be easily scaled up for parties and potlucks
- Minimal cooking needed, perfect for hot summer nights!
Key Ingredients
Vegan pesto — I make my own pesto for this pistachio pesto pasta salad. I use a combination of parsley, pistachios, garlic, nutritional yeast, olive oil, lemon juice, za’atar, salt, and pepper. The nutritional yeast has a similar flavour profile to cheese so be sure to not skip that!
Pasta — Feel free to use gluten free or whole wheat pasta, based on your dietary preferences. You can even use chickpea pasta or lentil pasta if you’d prefer.
Mix ins — To add more nutritional value to this salad, we pack it with a ton of mix ins like snap peas, tomatoes, onions, olives, pomegranate arils, and cucumbers. These can all be used without cooking to cut down on cooking time. You can swap with whatever vegetables you have in your fridge.
How to Make This Recipe
Step 1: Combine the parsley, pistachios, garlic, nutritional yeast in a food processor.
Step 2: Puree the mixture until smooth. Then add the olive oil, lemon juice, za’atar and salt and pepper to taste.
Step 3: Toss the cooked pasta with the pistachio pesto sauce.
Step 4: Toss the pistachio pesto pasta salad with the rest of the salad veggies, olives and pomegranate arils. Enjoy at room temperature.
Expert Tips
Be sure to cook your pasta in a pot of salted water.
Don’t let the pasta cool too much before tossing the pasta in the pesto. The pesto will stick to the pasta better if it’s still a little bit on the warmer side.
Feel free to use a different pasta shape. Penne and farfalle pasta work great for this pistachio pesto pasta salad as well.
Recipe FAQs
Some cooked peas, sautéed asparagus, green onions, toasted nuts, corn, chickpeas, or even some arugula would make for a nice addition to the pistachio pesto pasta salad.
If you have making this ahead of time, make sure you are placing them into an airtight container in the fridge for the best results. The salad should last for up to 3 to 4 days. You could also dress the pasta and hold off on adding the vegetables until the day of.
You sure can! Shredded chicken, shredded cheese, goat cheese, mozzarella balls, and more can be added to this pistachio pesto pasta salad!
You can use whatever fresh herbs you have on hand! Basil is my next go-to.
More Recipes You Might Like
If you’re looking for more recipes like this pistachio pesto pasta salad, try these ones:
- Vegan Olive Pesto Flatbread
- Beet Green Pesto Zoodles
- Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower Pasta Salad
- Grilled Avocado & Watermelon Salad
- Vegan Grilled Broccoli, Carrots & Avocado Salad
Lovelies, I would love to know what YOU put in your pesto !
Pesto Pasta Salad with Parsley and Pistachios (Vegan)
Ingredients
- Pesto:
- 2 cups flat Italian parsley leaves
- ½ cup shelled pistachios
- 2 small cloves garlic minced
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- ½ c olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp Za’atar
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Salad:
- 1 lb gluten free or whole wheat pasta cooked
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- ¼ cup thinly sliced red onion
- ¼ cup thinly sliced cucumber
- ½ cup snap peas sliced
- ¼ cup Kalamata olives sliced
- ¼ cup pomegranate arils
Instructions
- Combine the parsley, pistachios, garlic, nutritional yeast in a food processor and puree until smooth. Then add the olive oil, lemon juice, za’atar and salt and pepper to taste.
- Toss with cooked pasta and salad veggies, olives and pomegranate arils. Enjoy at room temperature.
Video
Notes
- Be sure to cook your pasta in a pot of salted water.
- Don’t let the pasta cool too much before tossing the pasta in the pesto. The pesto will stick to the pasta better if it’s still a little bit on the warmer side.
- Feel free to use a different pasta shape. Penne and farfalle pasta work great for this pesto pasta salad as well.
Nutrition
Abbey Sharp is a Registered Dietitian (RD), regulated by the Ontario College of Dietitians. She is a mom, YouTuber, Blogger, award winning cookbook author, media coach specializing in food and nutrition influencers, and a frequent contributor to national publications like Healthline and on national broadcast TV shows.
Klaudia Wojakowska says
i love your recipes! how, do you think, I could add more protein to this salad tho? instead of chicken!
Abbey Sharp says
Any protein you like- tofu, white beans, chickpeas or even a chickpea pasta could work.
Chef Paul says
I can’t wait to try this pistachio pesto pasta salad. It looks delicious. Thank you for both a great idea and perfect timing!
Deborah Brooks says
I love to use pesto in my pasta salads as well! Perfect way to spice it up
Abbey Sharp says
Definitely