Party Food: Pesto Pasta Salad

Thankyou all for your kind words about the 'day at the races' party we threw for my parents in law last weekend. As may of you guessed, it was a combined party for my mother and father in law as they both turn 70 within a few months of each other.

One of the salads that disappeared quickly was the pesto pasta salad.

Made, of course, with fresh basil pesto.

Which is a convenient addition to any party given that it can be made in advance.

Stored away until needed….

Then stirred through a bowlful of pasta resulting in a super easy, super tasty, party salad!

A vibrant accompaniment to any BBQ lunch...

With the wonderful abundance of fresh basil.

Pesto pasta salad

• 1 pkt penne (GF or regular) , cooked to al dente then drained and rinsed under cold water
• 1 cup well packed basil leaves
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 2 tbs pinenuts
• 50g grated parmesan
• 1 zucchini, sliced into thin rounds
• frozen peas, refreshed under running water
• extra pine nuts to garnish

1. To make the pesto, process the basil, olive oil, garlic, pinenuts until almost smooth. Stir through the parmesan.
2. Place the pasta, zucchini and peas into a bowl. Pour over the pesto, and stir well to combine.
3. Garnish with extra pinenuts before serving.

____

And in other news, a couple of you have asked about my upcoming race schedule. While the season has largely finished in Canberra - I did come across the Batemans Bay Triathlon Festival scheduled to take place this weekend. And, seeing as I was going to be 'down the Bay' at the weekend for a wedding anyway, it seemed to good to be true.

A little Enticer race to start my Sunday morning?? Sounds like fun to me!

Happy Baking :)