By It is ninety-four degrees and I made cold pasta salad. This is summer cooking in Utah: no oven, no stove if possible, everything assembled in the morning before the heat sets in and left in the refrigerator until dinner. I made a double batch on Saturday, enough for three days: rotini, diced salami, black olives, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, mozzarella pearls, red wine vinaigrette. Eleven dollars. Twelve servings. Ninety-two cents per serving. I wrote this down because the calculation is satisfying in the way all useful numbers are: they make the scale of a thing legible.
The kids have found the rhythm of summer. Mason and Ethan have been building something in the backyard for two weeks. Today I looked out the kitchen window and there is what appears to be a small fort: four walls, a door opening, a piece of plywood on top as a roof. It is structurally sound as far as I can tell from the window. I have decided to continue not investigating until it becomes relevant.
Brandon and I sat on the back porch Thursday evening after the kids were in bed. It was still warm and the mountains had gone purple in the dusk the way they do in June, that deep blue-purple that looks like something from a painting instead of something outside your back door. We talked about Ethan starting junior high in the fall. We talked about the community center workshop in August. Brandon said: you are good at this. I said: I am getting there. He said: no, you are good at it. We sat after that without saying anything. The mountains were still there. The evening was still warm. The conversation was complete in itself.
I made no-bake lemon cheesecake bars for Sunday dessert: cream cheese, condensed milk, lemon juice, graham cracker crust, the refrigerator working overnight. Four dollars for twelve bars. The kids ate them before I could plate them properly. This is not a complaint. This is a success metric.
The rotini salad I made on Saturday is almost gone, and I’m already thinking about what comes next in the rotation — something I can assemble before ten in the morning and pull from the refrigerator without turning on a single burner. This pesto pasta salad has earned a permanent spot in that lineup. It has the same logic as everything else working well in my kitchen right now: one hour of effort, several days of dinners, the kind of math that makes a hot Utah summer feel manageable instead of relentless.
Pesto Pasta Salad
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes + chilling | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 12 oz rotini or penne pasta
- 1/2 cup basil pesto (store-bought or homemade)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup fresh mozzarella pearls (or cubed fresh mozzarella)
- 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, halved
- 1/2 cup roasted red peppers, drained and sliced
- 1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, for serving
Instructions
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water until completely cool. Shake off excess water and transfer to a large bowl.
- Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the pesto, olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic powder, salt, and pepper until smooth and combined.
- Dress the pasta. Pour about two-thirds of the dressing over the cooled pasta and toss well to coat. The pasta will absorb the dressing as it sits, so starting with most of it now ensures good flavor throughout.
- Add the mix-ins. Add the cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, olives, roasted red peppers, and red onion. Toss gently to distribute evenly without breaking the mozzarella.
- Chill. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight. Before serving, toss again, add the remaining dressing if the salad looks dry, and fold in the fresh basil.
- Serve. Transfer to a serving bowl or plate directly from the refrigerator. Top with grated Parmesan and additional torn basil if desired. This salad keeps well covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 320 | Protein: 12g | Fat: 15g | Carbs: 36g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 480mg