The BEST Summery Pasta Salad

I have always loved pasta. I could eat an entire box and still want more—that’s what I mean by love. After I graduated college and started working, I was trying to you know, get it together and eat better. I wanted to be able to incorporate pasta into my diet without gaining 15 pounds, so I created this recipe. It was something that I could meal prep on the weekend and have for an entire week to eat as a part of my lunch or dinner. It goes well with a salad and any protein and makes for a perfect part of a balanced lunch or dinner. Depending on hooooww healthy I’m looking to be that week, I sometimes make it with brown rice pasta and vegan pesto (Gotham Greens is my favorite). That being said, I definitely also often make it with regular old pasta and homemade pesto full of parmesan.

I love this recipe not only because it helped me learn to eat pasta every day without feeling guilty, but also because you can customize it however you want by adding in leftover veggies or proteins.

Ingredients:

· 1 box pasta – you can use any kind

you like (e.g. brown rice, chickpea, regular)

· 4 heaping spoonsful of pesto (again any kind

you like – homemade or store bought)

· 15 cherry tomatoes -halved

· Fresh basil

Recipe:

1. Cook pasta according to instructions on the box

2. While your pasta is cooking, cut your cherry tomatoes in half and chiffonade your basil (roll the leaves up and cut them)

3. After you have strained your pasta add 2 of the spoonsful of pesto to a bowl and add in half the pasta

4. Add the other two spoonsful and the rest of the pasta

5. Add the tomatoes

6. Stir

7. Salt & enjoy!