Description

This vibrant, colorful Pesto Fusilli Pasta Salad with Corn and Tomatoes is packed with flavor and nutrition, compliments of an easy homemade pesto, fusilli pasta, grilled corn, and cashew parmesan. This pesto pasta salad is vegan, and can be easily made gluten-free by using gluten-free pasta.

Ingredients

Scale

Salad:

2 ears fresh corn on the cob, shucked (or use 1 ½ cups frozen fire-roasted corn, thawed)
½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 pound fusilli, uncooked
Water
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
½ teaspoon red chili flakes
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
½ – 1 cup reserved pasta water
Salt, as needed to taste (optional)

Pesto:

2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon water

Vegan Parmesan:

¼ cup raw cashews
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
Pinch salt (optional)
Pinch white pepper

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Instructions

To grill corn, brush shucked ears of corn with ½ tablespoon olive oil and place on a hot grill to cook for about 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally to cook evenly on all sides, until golden brown and tender. Allow to cool slightly, then cut the corn from the cobs and add to a large salad bowl.
While corn is cooking, cook pasta by adding water to a large pot to fill it two-thirds full. Cover and bring to a boil. Add fusilli, reduce to medium heat, and cook until al dente according to package directions (about 7 minutes). Drain cooked pasta, reserving 1 cup of pasta water. Add pasta to the bowl with corn and allow to cool slightly.
While corn and pasta is cooking and cooling, make pesto.
Place basil, garlic, and salt in the container of a food processor. Process for about 2 minutes to finely chop the basil and garlic. Gradually pour in the olive oil, lemon juice, and water while processing for an additional 2-3 minutes (or until smooth). Stop and scrape down sides as needed while blending. Should make a smooth pesto mixture.
Make vegan parmesan by placing raw cashews, nutritional yeast, salt, and white pepper into a small blender container and processing for a few seconds until ground into a grainy, sand-like texture.
Add the pesto, vegan parmesan, tomatoes, red chili flakes, and balsamic vinegar to the bowl with corn and pasta. Toss gently to distribute ingredients. Add reserved pasta water as needed to moisten the salad. Season with salt, as desired.
Serve immediately, or chill until serving time. Makes 8 servings (about 1 ½ cups each).

Notes

This recipe is naturally vegan, and can be made gluten-free by using gluten-free pasta.

Try different types of pasta, such as penne or linguini as desired.

May use ¼ cup prepared vegan parmesan cheese if desired.

May add cannellini or chickpeas to this recipe to make it a meal.

Try serving this salad in a shallow 3 quart salad bowl, such as this one.

Prep Time: 20
Cook Time: 20
Category: Entree
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1.5 cup
Calories: 297
Sodium: 216 mg
Fat: 6 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Carbohydrates: 54 g
Fiber: 4 g
Protein: 6 g