Side dishe for 10

Rotini Pesto Salad

Name: Rotini Pesto Salad
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 10 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 lb regular or tricolor rotini; 8 oz fresh mozzarella pearls; 1 cup basil pesto (optional); 1 cucumber; 1 cup cherry tomatoes; 1 cup chopped red onion; 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives; optional shredded parmesan cheese; extra optional olive oil if pesto is too thick; 3 loosely packed cups of basil leaves; 3 tbsp pine nuts; 2 cloves garlic; 2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese; 2/3 cup olive oil; salt and pepper (optional)

$4.81for 420 minServes 10

Rotini, mozzarella, vegetables, and olives are tossed with fresh basil pesto and finished with Parmesan.

Photo: kitchenswagger.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
	Mozzarella, 8 oz$0.30/oz typical	8 oz	$2.40Typical price
	Fresh herbs (cilantro, 1$1.49 each typical	1	$1.49Typical price
	Cucumbers, 1$0.89 each typical	1	$0.89Typical price
	Cherry and grape tomatoes, 5.25 oz$0.30/oz typical	5.25 oz	$1.59Typical price
	Red onions, 0.3 lb$1.49/lb typical	0.3 lb	$0.46Typical price
	Pickles and olives, 2.5 oz$0.18/oz typical	2.5 oz	$0.45Typical price
	Nuts and seeds, 0.75 oz$0.70/oz typical	0.75 oz	$0.59Typical price
	Garlic, 0.25$0.75 each typical	0.25	$0.15Typical price
	Parmesan, 2.25 oz$0.55/oz typical	2.25 oz	$1.28Typical price
Total for the servings shown		$12.03

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

Olive and cooking oilSalt and pepper

Not included in the cost.

20 minstart to table
Mediumdifficulty
10servings as written
$typical cost tier

Italian Vegetarian Budget Side dishes Summer

Typical price

$1.20 per serving$4.81 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 regular or tricolor rotini
8 oz fresh mozzarella pearls
1 cup basil pesto (optional)
1 cucumber
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
optional shredded parmesan cheese
extra optional olive oil if pesto is too thick
3 loosely packed cups of basil leaves
3 tbsp pine nuts
2 cloves garlic
2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
2/3 cup olive oil
salt and pepper (optional)

Steps

Boil the rotini in salted water until tender, then drain and cool it for 5 minutes.
Blend the basil, pine nuts, garlic, Parmesan, olive oil, salt, and pepper until smooth.
Chop the cucumber, tomatoes, and red onion into bite-size pieces.
Toss the rotini, mozzarella, vegetables, and olives in a large bowl.
Stir in the pesto and chill the salad for 5 minutes.