Broccoli, Pasta, and Pesto Salad

wildheart's Note:

If you've never tried pesto before, this is the recipe to start with. Maybe, once you try pesto, you'll be encouraged to add basil to your kitchen garden!

• Total Time: 25 mins
• Prep Time: 25 mins
• Cook Time: 0 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 2 cups uncooked fancy pasta
• 2 cups diced ham or 2 cups pork or 2 cups beef or 2 cups chicken or 2 cups turkey
• 2 cups broccoli florets, steamed til barely tender
• 1 1/2 cups shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaf
• 2 -3 cloves garlic
• 1 cup fat-free mayonnaise or 1 cup low-fat mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Cook and drain pasta; cool.
2. Combine pasta, meat, broccoli, and cheeses in large bowl.
3. Put basil and garlic in food processor or blender; whiz.
4. Add mayo to food processor or blender.
5. Mix thoroughly.
6. Stir into pasta mix.
7. Toss to coat.
8. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.
9. During the last 1/2 hour of chilling time, toss once to mix.
10. For color contrast, serve with cherry tomatoes, cut in halves.

Reviews

[Amlaphq]

The recipe overall tasted good - I liked the combination and the suggestion to only partly cook the brocoli. The tomatoes were also a good addition. However, this was my first time making a pesto and I don't think I added quite enough basil, making the dish seem like it was lacking in something. I will try it again in the future and try to intensify the flavors. This seems like a dish that can be used for a multitude of things. Thanks for posting :)

[lucy k.]

Mmmmmm, garlic. I left out the meat to serve this as a side dish, and cut the mayo down to about 2/3 cup. Tasty.

[Tweeky]

Excellent salad wildheart! Loved ,the pesto dressing, heavy on garlic! Will be making again and again. Thanks for sharing. Tweeky, a.k.a. Judi