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You are here: Home / Recipes / Italian Cuisine

Easy Casarecce Pasta Salad with Pesto

📋 Modified: Jul 23, 2024 Published: Jul 31, 2022 by 👩🏻‍🍳 Jami Powell · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

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This easy Casarecce Pasta Salad with Pesto is your new go-to for a quick, fresh, and satisfying meal. With tender pasta, bold pesto, and simple add-ins like cherry tomatoes or mozzarella, this one-pot recipe comes together in under 15 minutes—perfect for lunch, meal prep, or a last-minute side.

Have you tried our Spring Pasta Salad Recipe? It's light and fresh just like this one!

Casarecce pasta with baby heirloom tomatoes and artichoke hero 1

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This gorgeous pasta dish is filled with one of our favorite noodles. Casarecce, which is a traditional short noodle from Sicily, is a loosely rolled short pasta that is perfect for holding pesto and also makes a nice presentation.

Looking for more amazing pasta recipes? Try this Bay Scallops with Pasta and White Wine Sauce, or this Bucatini Alla Carbonara with Prosciutto and Peas.

Jump to:
  • Why We Love This Recipe
  • Ingredients
  • How to Make Easy Casarecce Pasta Salad with Pesto
  • Substitutions & Variations
  • Expert Tips for Success
  • Storage
  • Recipe FAQs
  • Related
  • More Italian Recipes You'll Love ♥️
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Share Your Thoughts

Why We Love This Recipe

  • Fresh: Garden tomatoes, homemade pesto, lemon, and basil leaves add so much freshness to this pasta!
  • Easy: If your pesto is already made, you can put this pasta dish together in under 15 minutes.
  • Great Leftovers: Nothing like a good pasta dish to keep in the refrigerator for leftovers the next day. No reheating is necessary, just quick eating.
  • Filling: We hope you're hungry. Pasta will really fill you up!

Ingredients

A labeled ingredient image of everything needed to make Cassarece pasta salad with pesto.
  • Pasta: We used Casarecce pasta because we just love the shape of these noodles.
  • Pesto: Homemade pesto is the best. Some fresh basil, pine nuts, garlic, lemon, and parmesan are the key ingredients.
  • Tomatoes: We found these beautiful baby heirloom tomatoes at our local farmer's market.
  • Artichoke Hearts: We prefer marinated artichoke hearts for this dish.
  • Mozzarella Cheese: Mozzarella snacking cheese works well. You could also cut up some fresh mozzarella into little cubes.
  • Basil: Fresh basil is the best!
  • Lemon: Fresh lemon is preferred.
  • Salt: A little salt for the pasta water.
  • Pepper: Fresh cracked pepper is best.

A full ingredient list with exact measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

How to Make Easy Casarecce Pasta Salad with Pesto

Cooked and drained pasta in a bowl.

STEP ONE: Boil the Pasta

Bring a large pot of water to a boil with a little salt. Boil the pasta according to the package directions.

Drain in a colander when finished and set aside.

Baby heirloom tomatoes cut on cutting board

STEP TWO: Dice the Vegetables and Herbs

Dice all of the baby heirloom tomatoes in half. Chiffonade the basil by stacking the basil leaves, rolling them together, then cutting them into thin ribbons.

Pasta caserecce in a mixing bowl without dressing

STEP THREE: Mix in the Pesto and Other Ingredients

Combine the drained pasta with all other ingredients except the mozzarella cheese.

Pesto pasta salad mixed with all ingredients.

STEP FOUR: Chill and Serve

Place the pasta and mozzarella cheese into the refrigerator to chill for at least one hour.

Remove the pasta and mix in the mozzarella cheese. Add fresh basil leaves for garnish if desired.

Substitutions & Variations

  • Tomatoes: Standard grape or cherry tomatoes can be used in place of heirloom tomatoes.
  • Artichoke: The non-marinated variety would also work well.
  • Pasta: Choose any type of pasta you like!
  • Method: Make a delicious dinner version served warm with pesto cream sauce and chicken.

Expert Tips for Success

👩‍🍳Jami's Pro Tips: Want to take this recipe to the next level? Check out my expert tips below for the best flavor, texture, and meal prep hacks!

✔️ DO Toss the pasta with pesto while it's still warm so it absorbs better, then fold in the rest once cooled to avoid melting the cheese.
✔️ DO Finish with extra basil and a dusting of grated Parmesan.

Storage

Store Casarecce pasta with pesto in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. This dish is not freezer-friendly. Serve chilled.

Recipe FAQs

How do you pronounce casarecce?

Casarecce pasta is pronounced cah-sah-ret-chee.

What is casarecce?

Casarecce is a type of pasta that originates from Sicily, Italy. Its name means "homemade" or "home-style," and it is characterized by its twisted, elongated shape. The unique shape of Casarecce makes it great for holding traditional Italian sauces like marinara, pesto, and ragu.

Is Casarecce pasta also sold gluten-free?

Yes, Garafalo sells a gluten-free version with corn flour, potatoes, and quinoa. There are many other options available if you search "gluten-free casarecce" online.

Casarecce pasta close up in white bowl

Related

  • Prosciutto Caprese Sandwich
  • Heirloom Cherry Tomato and Asparagus Quiche.
  • Baby Heirloom Tomato Salad with Feta
  • Red Pepper and Artichoke Salad
  • Charcuterie Skewers

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Did You Like This Pasta Casarecce Recipe?

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📖 Recipe

Casarecce pasta with baby heirloom tomatoes and artichoke feature image

Easy Casarecce Pasta with Pesto

Jami Powell
This easy Casarecce Pasta Salad with Pesto is your new go-to for a quick, fresh, and satisfying meal. With tender pasta, bold pesto, and simple add-ins like cherry tomatoes or mozzarella, this one-pot recipe comes together in under 15 minutes—perfect for lunch, meal prep, or a last-minute side.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 0 minutes mins
Total Time 15 minutes mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 8
Calories 451 kcal

Equipment

  • Pasta pot
  • Colander
  • Cutting board
  • Knife
  • Citrus squeezer

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound Casarecce pasta
  • ¾ cup pesto
  • 1 ½ pints baby heirloom tomatoes
  • 1 33 ounce jar artichoke hearts drained
  • 12 Mozzarella snacking cheese balls
  • 6-8 basil leaves fresh
  • ½ lemon juice of
  • ½ teaspoon salt for pasta boil
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper or to taste

Instructions
 

  • In a large pot, bring water to a boil and add a pinch of salt. Cook the Casarecce pasta according to the instructions on the package. Once cooked, drain the pasta in a colander and set it aside.
  • Halve all the baby heirloom tomatoes. Stack the fresh basil leaves together, roll them tightly, and slice them into thin ribbons (also known as chiffonade).
  • In a mixing bowl, combine the drained pasta with the diced baby heirloom tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and the desired amount of pesto. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Transfer the pasta mixture along with the mozzarella snacking cheese to a refrigerator-safe container. Chill for a minimum of one hour to allow the flavors to meld together.
  • Once chilled, remove the pasta from the refrigerator and gently mix in the mozzarella cheese. If desired, garnish with fresh basil leaves for an extra touch of freshness.

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Notes

Storage Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 2-3 days. 
Freeze This dish is not freezer friendly.
Substitutions
  • Tomatoes: Standard grape or cherry tomatoes can be used in place of heirloom tomatoes.
  • Artichoke: The non-marinated variety would also work well.
  • Pasta: Choose any type of pasta you like!
Nutrition The provided nutrition information is only an estimate.

Nutrition

Calories: 451kcalCarbohydrates: 53gProtein: 18gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 923mgPotassium: 330mgFiber: 5gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 920IUVitamin C: 24mgCalcium: 212mgIron: 2mg
Did you make this recipe?Tag @powell.family.cooking on Instagram

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