Pesto Pasta Salad (Marks & Spencer Copycat Recipe)
Copycat recipe of Marks & Spencer pasta salad with spinach, pesto and pine nuts. Picnic season has arrived and this is the perfect, easy pasta salad to enjoy this summer.
Servings 10
Ingredients
Pesto
- 60 g fresh basil leaves roughly two big handfuls
- 1 clove of garlic peeled and left whole
- 50 g pine nuts lightly toasted in a dry pan
- 55 g Parmesan or Grana Padano finely grated
- 5-6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil add more if needed to adjust consistency
- salt and black pepper to taste
Pasta
- 500 g farfelle pasta
- roughly two large handfuls of baby spinach roughly chopped/torn into smaller pieces - removing any tough stalks
Serving
- extra grated Parmesan/Grana Padano, pine nuts and basil leaves if desired
Instructions
- Start by preparing the pesto. Dry toast the pine nuts in a small pan until lightly coloured. In a food processor, pulse together the basil, garlic, toasted pine nuts and Parmesan/Grana Padano until they are minced.
- With the processor on slow speed, add the oil (a tablespoon at a time) in a slow stream. Now season to taste with salt and black pepper. Process for another minute until all the ingredients are combined.
- Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions - mine took 12 minutes. Once cooked, drain and rinse with cold water. Drain again. Tip the cooked pasta into a large mixing bowl and stir through the pesto. You might need to add another tablespoon or two of olive oil at this point just to get the correct consistency.
- Now add the chopped spinach, check the seasoning and season with any extra salt and black pepper if needed.
- I like to stir through a couple of tablespoons of extra toasted pine nuts and some more coarsely grated Parmesan/Grana Padano cheese - this is optional. Cover the bowl and chill the pasta salad for at least 4 hours before serving - I leave mine overnight.The pasta salad will keep stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.