Lunche for 8

Pesto Pasta Salad

Name: Pesto Pasta Salad
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups packed fresh basil leaves; 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese; 3 tbsp pine nuts; 1 1/2 cloves garlic; 1/4 tsp sea salt plus more to taste (optional); 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (optional); 1 lb pasta; 1/4 cup pine nuts; 1/3 cup mayonnaise; 1 lemon; 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (optional); 1 cup mini mozzarella balls; 2 cups cherry tomatoes; 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion; 2 cups fresh arugula; sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper (optional)

$6.31for 430 minServes 8

Cooked pasta is tossed with basil pesto, creamy mayonnaise, vegetables, mozzarella, and arugula for a chilled salad.

Photo: themodernproper.com

What it costs

Pick your city to see which ingredients are on sale

Ingredient	Amount	Cost
	Fresh herbs (cilantro, 0.75$1.49 each typical	0.75	$1.12Typical price
	Parmesan, 2.75 oz$0.55/oz typical	2.75 oz	$1.44Typical price
	Nuts and seeds, 2 oz$0.70/oz typical	2 oz	$1.38Typical price
	Garlic, 0.25$0.75 each typical	0.25	$0.11Typical price
	Pasta, 16 oz$0.10/oz typical	16 oz	$1.60Typical price
	Lemons and limes, 1$0.60 each typical	1	$0.60Typical price
	Juice, 0.5 oz$0.04/oz typical	0.5 oz	$0.02Typical price
	Mozzarella, 4 oz$0.30/oz typical	4 oz	$1.20Typical price
	Cherry and grape tomatoes, 11 oz$0.30/oz typical	11 oz	$3.18Typical price
	Red onions, a little$1.49/lb typical	a little	$0.12Typical price
	Bok choy and napa cabbage, 0.25 lb$1.99/lb typical	0.25 lb	$0.50Typical price
Total for the servings shown		$12.62

Swaps

Swap red onions for onionsabout $0.20/lb less at typical prices
Swap mozzarella for cheddar and shredded cheeseabout the same price
Swap pasta for egg noodlesabout $0.04/oz more at typical prices

Pantry staples you likely have

Salt and pepperCooking spray, shortening, ghee, coconut and sesame oilMustard, mayo, ketchup

Not included in the cost.

30 minstart to table
Mediumdifficulty
8servings as written
$typical cost tier

Italian Vegetarian Kid-friendly Budget Lunches Back to school Summer

Typical price

$1.58 per serving$6.31 for 4

City Store

Typical price: Salefork's estimate of an everyday US shelf price for each ingredient. Pick your city to price it from this week's ad.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
3 tbsp pine nuts
1 1/2 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp sea salt plus more to taste (optional)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (optional)
1 lb pasta
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 lemon
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (optional)
1 cup mini mozzarella balls
2 cups cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
2 cups fresh arugula
sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper (optional)

Steps

Boil the pasta in salted water until tender, about 9 to 11 minutes, then drain and rinse under cold water.
Blend the basil, Parmesan, three tablespoons pine nuts, garlic, salt, olive oil, and lemon juice until smooth.
Whisk the pesto with the mayonnaise and more lemon juice in a large bowl.
Add the cooled pasta, mozzarella, tomatoes, onion, arugula, and remaining pine nuts, then toss well.
Season with salt and pepper, and chill the salad for at least 5 minutes before serving.