Hazelnut Pesto Pasta Salad
A super simple, vibrant pasta salad.
Servings: 4 People
Equipment
- Food Processor/Jug Blender
- Large Saucepan
- Large Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
Hazelnut Pesto
- 50 g Hazelnuts
- 30 g Rocket Washed
- 25 g Fresh Basil
- 10 g Grated Parmesan
- 2 Cloves Of Garlic
- 1 Lemon Juiced
- 120 g Olive Oil
The Salad
- 350 g Fusilli
- 200 g Cherry Tomatoes
- 1 Red Onion
- 100 g Rocket Washed
- 100 g Feta
- Chilli Flakes
- Olive Oil
Instructions
- First up, the pesto.Preheat an oven to 200°c/180°c fan (390°f/360°f).Place the hazelnuts on a baking tray & roast for 5-10 minutes or until golden brown. Leave to cool then peel off any skins.
- Next, place the rocket, basil (don’t worry about picking the leaves, throw the stalks in as well!), parmesan, garlic, lemon juice & hazelnuts into a food processor or jug blender .Add in the olive oil, season with salt & pepper then blitz until smooth, scraping the sides down occasionally with a rubber spatula.Once blitzed, transfer the pesto to a large mixing bowl & set aside.
- The Salad.Bring a pan of water to the boil over a high heat then season generously with salt. Add in the pasta & cook at a rolling boil until cooked slightly more than al dente, roughly 10 minutes.Refresh the pasta under cold water then once cool, drain in a colander.
- Add the pasta into the mixing bowl & mix until completely coated in pesto.
- Half the cherry tomatoes & thinly slice the red onion. Add this to the pasta along with the rocket. Season with salt & pepper, mix gently then divide equally between bowls.
- Crumble feta over each bowl of pasta then sprinkle over some chilli flakes & season with black pepper. Drizzle over some olive oil then serve.
Notes
To Cook On An Aga.
Roast the hazelnuts in the centre of the baking oven, for 5-10 minutes.
Use the boiling plate to cook the pasta as above. If you wanted to make this salad in advance, leave the rocket & feta out & add these in just before serving. Kept in the fridge, this will last for 2-3 days but is best eaten fresh. Pasta tends to firm up slightly as it cools. By cooking it slightly more than al dente, we avoid hard pasta.
Use the boiling plate to cook the pasta as above. If you wanted to make this salad in advance, leave the rocket & feta out & add these in just before serving. Kept in the fridge, this will last for 2-3 days but is best eaten fresh. Pasta tends to firm up slightly as it cools. By cooking it slightly more than al dente, we avoid hard pasta.