Pesto Summer Pasta Salad

This EASY 10-minute Summer Pesto Pasta Salad is loaded with fresh ingredients like juicy tomatoes, corn, avocado, garlic, and lemon zest, all tossed together with warm pasta and satisfying basil pesto!

Summer is right around the corner and there is nothing better than a satisfying loaded veggie pasta salad to serve at all your favorite gatherings! Juicy, colorful tomatoes, fresh corn, sliced avocado, and warm pasta, all tossed together with a flavorful basil pesto. This pasta salad is made with just a few simple ingredients and can easily be thrown together in just 10 minutes!

This salad is really SO simple to throw together! Simply boil your noodles to al dente per the package instructions and while your noodles cook you can chop up all the tomatoes and slice your avocado. Then once the noodles are done boiling and are drained, A cook like to mix the warm noodles with the fresh garlic which really gives the noodles a nice garlicky flavor! Then add in the

What goes in

• 16 ounces cavatappi pasta, any corkscrew pasta will work
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 1/2 cups corn, fresh or frozen
• 1 avocado, pitted and diced
• 1 cup pesto,
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice + 1 teaspoon zest
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped

How it comes together

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta per package instructions until al dente. Drain pasta, rinse with water and transfer to a large bowl.
2. Mix together the garlic with warm pasta until all incorporated, then add in tomatoes, corn and avocado. Pour in the pesto and mix well until everything is nice and coated.
3. Add in lemon juice, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, salt/pepper and fresh basil and give everything another good stir until all mixed together. Serve and enjoy!