Dinner for 5

Pesto Pasta Salad with mozzarella

Name: Pesto Pasta Salad with mozzarella
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 5 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 lb fusilli pasta; 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; 1 cup homemade or store-bought pesto; 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice; 1 1/2 cups frozen peas; 3/4 cup mayonnaise; 1/3 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano; 1 package (8 oz) mozzarella pearls; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper; 2 tbsp fresh chopped basil (optional)

$6.49for 430 minServes 5

Fusilli, peas, mozzarella, and pine nuts are cooled and tossed with pesto, mayonnaise, lemon, and cheese.

Photo: onceuponachef.com

What it costs

Pick your city to see which ingredients are on sale

Ingredient	Amount	Cost
	Pasta, 16 oz$0.10/oz typical	16 oz	$1.60Typical price
	Alfredo, 8.5 oz$0.18/oz typical	8.5 oz	$1.53Typical price
	Juice, 1 oz$0.04/oz typical	1 oz	$0.04Typical price
	Frozen vegetables, 7.5 oz$0.10/oz typical	7.5 oz	$0.75Typical price
	Parmesan, 1.25 oz$0.55/oz typical	1.25 oz	$0.64Typical price
	Mozzarella, 8 oz$0.30/oz typical	8 oz	$2.40Typical price
	Fresh herbs (cilantro, a little$1.49 each typical	a little	$0.05Typical price
Total for the servings shown		$8.11

Swaps

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

Cooking spray, shortening, ghee, coconut and sesame oilMustard, mayo, ketchupSalt and pepper

Not included in the cost.

30 minstart to table
Easydifficulty
5servings (the source says 8, which counts pieces)
$typical cost tier

Italian Vegetarian Kid-friendly Budget Family Side dishes Lunches Dinners Back to school Summer

Typical price

$1.62 per serving$6.49 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 lb fusilli pasta
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup homemade or store-bought pesto
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano
1 package (8 oz) mozzarella pearls
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp fresh chopped basil (optional)

Steps

Boil the fusilli in salted water until tender, adding the peas during the final 2 minutes.
Drain the pasta and peas, rinse them with cold water, and cool them for 5 minutes.
Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes.
Whisk the pesto, mayonnaise, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
Toss in the pasta, peas, mozzarella, Parmesan, and pine nuts.
Chill the salad for 5 minutes and stir in the basil.