Broccoli, Pasta, and Pesto Salad

Submitted by wildheart

"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!"

 

• Ready In: 25mins
• Ingredients: 10
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• 2 cups uncooked fancy pasta
• 2 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.

 

[Judith N.]

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