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I do not care what the calendar says.

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Pesto pasta on the table.

Dancing to Call Me Maybe in our underwear at least twenty-seven times a day.  (What?!?!? It is hot.)

(Uhh…the weather.  Not our/my underwear dance moves.  Those are just…unfortunate.)

Trashy beach-perfect chick lit under our pillows (we all know I’m referring to 50shadesofgrey.  Would you expect anything less provocative?)

(And maybe it’s not really beach-perfect.  Maybe…honeymoon-bedroom perfect?  That seems more appropriate.)
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Emotionally eating the idea that someday soon someone might try to force us into a bathing suit under the guise of “vacation” or an “MD/PhD retreat” or just as a most sincerest form of torture.

Oh, yes.  I’d say it’s official.

Summer. Is. Here.

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So let’s eat our pesto pasta salad that is stuffed with so many veggies it’s unreal.

Turn that music up to 11.

And vow to get that bathing suit situation under control…

…next summer.

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Eat.Live.Be.

So the truth about me and running is that I haven’t laced up my sneakers in ten days.  (Since the Brooklyn Half Marathon.)  My right hamstring has felt…odd…to say the least.  (And by odd I mean that it has a knot in it the size of Texas that makes me cry whenever I try to foam roll it.)  So I’ve been giving it a rest.  I tried to hit the pavement yesterday but between the 90 degree weather and the fact that after two blocks of feeling like my legs had lost every coordinated bone they ever possessed (which admittedly is not many)…I headed for the gym instead.  There’s always tomorrow.  


And what I’ve realized in this past ten days is that I don’t eat very well when I don’t run.  I’m more inclined to say, “Oh yes, I’ll just eat a jar of cookie butter in two days. No big deal.”  Instead of, “Jar of cookie butter = bellyache = bad run. NO CAN DO!”  So this week is about working on getting a handle on my raging sweet tooth/sugar addiction.  And trying to convince myself that running is not the be-all end-all of my life and that I still deserve to feel good even if there isn’t 6 miles in my immediate future.  It’s a process.

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Pesto Pasta Salad with Roasted Asparagus, String Beans, Cherry Tomatoes and Olives
Serves 8, an Eats Well With Others Original

Ingredients

  • 1 lb mini ravioli or tortellini (I used sun-dried tomato mini ravioli from a local Italian supermarket)
  • 1 bunch asparagus, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 8 oz halicot verts or string beans, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp tuscany seasoning (or other Italian blend)
  • 8 oz kalamata olives, halved
  • 1/2 cup pesto
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
  • salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 450.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Cook the ravioli according to package directions.
  2. While the water is coming to a boil, toss the asparagus, string beans, and cherry tomatoes with the olive oil, tuscany seasoning, salt and black pepper.  Spread out onto one or two parchment paper-lined baking sheets.  Roast for 15-20 minutes or until tender and starting to brown/shrivel.
  3. Toss the pasta with the veggies, olives, pesto, and parmesan cheese.  Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

I am submitting this to Presto Pasta Nights which is hosted this week by Stash of Simple Kitchen Seasons and also to Souper Sundays which is hosted by Deb of Kahakai Kitchen.

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You are reading this post on Eats Well With Others at https://joanne-eatswellwithothers.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and or owner of Eats Well With Others. All rights reserved by Joanne Bruno.
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98 Responses to Pesto Pasta Salad with Roasted Aparagus, String Beans, Cherry Tomatoes, and Olives {eat.live.be}

  1. london bakes says:

    This looks just perfect for summer. I love roasting summer vegetables like this and the addition of ravioli and a simple pesto dressing makes it into such a great meal.

    I hope your body (and the weather…) allows you to get back to running soon.

  2. Julie says:

    A perfect summer salad! Love the flavors! Hope you’re having a great week.

  3. Elizabeth says:

    Oh I would eat this for breakfast right now.

  4. Mmmm…so excited for fresh pesto this summer! This looks delicious!

  5. Sam says:

    I’m with you. I love my pasta salad to be really veggie-heavy. I’m in more of a Game of Thrones reading phase than a 50 Shades of Grey reading phase at the moment. My theory is reading about a place where winter could possibly last for nine years will make me feel cooler–unlike 50 Shades of Grey which most definitely won’t. 😉

  6. Pesto is one of those things that I can never seem to get enough of. Whenever I run out it’s never a problem, because I just make more! YAHOO! This is definitely on my to-make list. Also, so sorry to hear about your hamstring…did you feel it while running the half too? I had a sore hip a few months back and it eventually just went away. Yours will too…I can feel it because I’m (not in away way and never will be) a doctor.

  7. Your pasta salad with the roasted vegetables sound terrific. I hope your legs recover from the marathon soon.

  8. You had me at pesto.
    Hope your leg feels better SOON!

  9. Amy says:

    Isn’t that always the way…great workout=fabulous eating all day. No workout=eat like shit all day. It should be the other way around!

    It’s HOT here, too. 100’s actually. It’s like that every year in May…and the pools don’t open until June 9th. WTF? That and given my no junk food for 20 more days, I guess I’ll go snack on some lettuce. Good times.

  10. Johanna GGG says:

    it is not asparagus season here but it is roasted veg season and I have a hankering for that salad

    Now what is cookie butter? I can’t even begin to imagine

  11. Danielle says:

    I haven’t done a real run since I got to altitude (and hills). Meaning I did 5 miles in South Bend two weeks ago and a couple of short jogs since. It is driving me crazy.

    Maybe your leg will heal about the time I’m acclimated. I’ve giving myself until the weekend.

  12. What a simple, and flavorful dish! I love everythign you have going on in there!! Yum!!!

  13. Louisa says:

    I must make this tonight. I have a package of sun dried tomato ravioli in the freezer and no idea what to do with it.

    Yum, it looks delicious!!

  14. Kelsey says:

    This pasta is exactly what I was craving, how did you know??

  15. Kim says:

    This pasta salad is gorgeous!! The ravioli really make it fun and I love all the veggies.

    Hope your hamstring gets to feeling better. Sounds painful.

  16. Margarita says:

    Joanne, I am sorry about your hamstring… I used to injure myself all the time when I worked out too much and now I have learned to just give my body time to heal and rest when it asks for it. On the bright side, now would be a great time to get cardio workout in through swimming or biking. Hope that hamstring feels better soon. This pasta sounds great! I love sundried tomatoes and I frozen pesto that needs some using. Take care!

  17. Lynn says:

    Yummers! I’m so making that. 🙂

  18. This is the kind of dish I would totally make at the beginning of the week and continue to consume it for many many days… hot or cold and I would just keep adding more veggies throughout the week. Ok, now I am craving pasta. Thanks! 😉

    Wishing you a lovely start to your summer! Now, go put on that bikini!

  19. I love all the veggies in this pesto salad. And… I have Call Me Maybe stuck in my head now…

  20. Katerina says:

    You can’t go wrong with pasta Joanne and this one certainly is something I would love to have in my table!

  21. Big Dude says:

    Super good looking dish Joanne and healthy too. I like the way the pesto is clinging to the pasta.

  22. Pam says:

    Sorry about your hamstring!

    Eating this pesto pasta salad while reading chick lit sounds pretty amazing to me!

  23. Faith says:

    This looks amazing, Joanne! Love how it’s stuffed full of veggies!

  24. Lora says:

    Pesto pasta salad rock and this one is especially tempting.

  25. Looks delicious and I am just about to harvest my basil for my first batch of pesto!

    STUNNING photos

    Dave

  26. Cathleen says:

    Haha, those do seem to describe an excellent summer! Sorry about your hamstring. Get better soon!
    But honestly, this looks to die for. Pesto anything and my mouth starts watering

  27. Eileen says:

    Roasted veg, ravioli, and pesto–perfect! So excited to see all the summer veg rearing its lovely head. Er, their heads? Sure, why not? 🙂

  28. Jenn Kendall says:

    it is lunch time here and this looks soooo good right now, i’m totally wishing i had a bowl of it!

  29. I don’t need the excuse of summer to enjoy this! I’ve not been at gym all week which is depressing so I know how you feel 🙂

  30. RecipeGirl says:

    I’ll eat all the veggies and a couple of bites of that delicious pasta… since I have to put on a bathing suit in a couple of weeks!! Carbs are my enemy right now. I know your body kinda needs ’em, but my body says to limit them or my butt will just get bigger and bigger 😉 Delicious combo you’ve got going on here!

  31. Hotly Spiced says:

    I’m sure if I ran a half-marathon I’d have more than a sore hamstring to recover from. And I’m sure it must be so hot and humid in NYC at the moment which would make jogging quite unpleasant. Best to stay in the air-conditioned gym I’d say. What a beautiful looking pasta. I love the colours. And cherry tomatoes and asparagus are a great combination xx

  32. Debbie says:

    Hope your leg feels better soon. This is another one of your recipes that I am keeping and going to try. Looks great! I too, have a major sweet tooth. Don’t know when I will ever get it under control (as I stare at a box of butter cookies with sprinkles that I just picked up from the store.)

  33. We had the 90 degree heat on Sunday and Monday! Today it’s 55. I’m confused.

    I’m so sorry about your hamstring but what a delicious pasta salad to comfort you. I love the sound of the sun-dried mini ravioli with it.

  34. Hope you feel better. But a huge bowl of that pasta has to be somewhat comforting, it looks delicious!

  35. Shana says:

    I ? Pesto. 🙂 Thanks for sharing the recipe. It looks awesome!

  36. daphne says:

    I reckon pesto is good on anything!! And i can dance to call me maybe for ages as well (oops.. too much detail!)!

  37. JoJo says:

    I love pesto! The taste, color, smell… it’s just great.
    I love that the pasta is full of vegetables!
    I hope you feel better soon!

  38. This looks incredible! I really cannot wait for pesto. I still haven’t found a store bought kind I like as much as homemade and I’m still waiting on my basil plants to grow, haha.

  39. Rachel says:

    I’m completely ready for summer now. I also have so many potential pesto greens in my fridge that it’s getting kind of ridiculous. Pasta salad, here I come.

  40. I’ve never made a pasta salad with raviolis…I especially love the mini ones you used!

  41. I’m so depressed when I think of bikini season as well 🙂 I can’t wait to have enough basil leaves to make pesto at home, they’re the best. Yours look like a summer on a plate!

  42. Gloria says:

    Look delicious Joanne, I would eat a plate now!LOL

  43. Katie says:

    Glad you’re finding something to do to beat the heat. This sounds fabulous. Asparagus is ALL I want to eat right now!

  44. Megan says:

    I’d say it’s summer too, if it means I get to eat this pasta salad!

  45. JasmyneTea says:

    I don’t think your dance moves could EVER be as unfortunate as that song, lol. I’m bookmarking this, even though we’re coming up to winter, because it looks awesome!

  46. That Girl says:

    I’ve been singing Call Me Maybe all day today. I would fit in well in your apartment.

  47. Call Me Maybe – ugh, most addictive song ever – perfect to listening to while eating this amazing dish 😀

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

  48. Epicurea says:

    oh this looks wonderful, wish it was warm and summery over here too!

  49. Pretty sure our less than stellar eating habits are really because we haven’t seen each other in forever, really.

  50. It’s not summer here but that wouldn’t stop me from eating this salad OR dancing around without considering what underwear I was (or was not) wearing. 🙂

  51. Lea Ann says:

    I love pesto and don’t know why I don;t use it more often. Especially on pasta. Looks wonderful Joanne.

  52. what a great idea! yum! pesto makes everything better. 🙂

  53. Lori says:

    I love anything that is smothered in pesto, and when it happens to be a ton of veggies? All the better. The heat has not been good for running around here either. It doesn’t help that I hate summer running. There is no getting acclimated to, or pushing through in my book. I’d rather skip it all together. I manage to squeeze in just enough to keep my endurance up so I can hit it full force again in the fall. Rest up that hammy!

  54. Ruth Daniels says:

    Sorry about the hamstring, but the pasta salad looks like a wonderful compensation. Thanks for sharing with Presto Pasta Nights.

  55. This is basically my ideal lunch/dinner/everything. Lots of veggies AND lots of pasta. Add in some pesto and olives and I’m in heaven.

    Hope your hamstring feels better!

    Sues

  56. love2dine says:

    This looks soooooo delicious

  57. This mix of veggies is right up my alley. And pesto + pasta is always a hit in my book. Love this Joanne!

  58. Claudia says:

    It’s not even 60 degrees here and I don’t care – summer is happening in my kitchen. Loving this. I’ll skip dancing in my underwear. I’ll just eat.

  59. I really need to start running again…especially since I have a 10K coming up in a month! hah

  60. Blond Duck says:

    I totally understand….my midfoot is acting up and I’m eating all the iron-vitamin encrusted things I can to fix it!

  61. I love all the fun spring flavors of this dish, and your inspirational quotes you’ve been putting in lately. Love em actually.

  62. Camila Faria says:

    Always a great dish here! Beautiful salad!

    • Claudia says:

      Well I say swimming is the best form of exercise, especially in hot weather. Well, maybe only in hot weather. But, that salad would be fabulous in all seasons if the veggies were available.

  63. I saw this post in the morning and your first picture stayed in my head all morning…so I made it for lunch!! My kids loved this. They don’t usually eat asparagus but they ate it a lot today. Thank you so much for the delicious meal! 🙂

  64. Ranjani says:

    This. looks. amazing. I love me a mayo-free pasta salad!

  65. It is most definitely a process. 🙂 I’m the same way. When I exercise I’m so motivate to eat well, but when I don’t, bring on the chips and chocolate!! 🙂 I’m doing better: more water, more veggies, almost everything homemade.

  66. Carolyn Jung says:

    I think pesto should be a year-round food no matter what. Now, if only asparagus could be, then I’d really have nothing to complain about. The season is always too short. 😉

  67. I totally know what you mean about not eating well when you don’t work out! It’s counterintuitive but so true, ugh. Also, I’ve got 50 Shades of Grey on hold at the library…can not wait, hehe.

    I love pesto and pasta so this sounds just about perfect 🙂

  68. Oh I love pesto and we have planted around 15 Basil plants so that I can make plenty of pesto and freeze lots for us to have this Winter

  69. tigerfish says:

    You make me want to have pesto “something” again! I still have some pesto in the freezer but I don’t think it is enough to toss with all the goodie veggies you have 🙂

  70. You have me crave for pasta pesto! Gorgeous colours.

  71. Tessa says:

    The cookie butter thing happens to the best of us… my husband just brought home a large container of Nutella the other day… (which is now mostly gone between the 2 of us). Hope you’re hamstring feels better soon!

    Gorgeous pasta dish by the way. Definitely going on the “to make list.”

  72. I love your photos, they’re so sharp and pretty! The pasta salad looks so delicious and beautiful…I love pesto and this recipe just sounds like the perfect combination!

  73. grace says:

    string beans in pasta salad? that’s a first for me. i can always come to you to get clever but easy-to-accomplish new ideas. 🙂

  74. Oh, this looks wonderful! I’ve been cutting out pasta and carbs to get my bod ready for a beach vacation in *gulp* three weeks. But I may have to throw caution to the wind for this.

  75. Reeni says:

    I just bought a giant pot of basil – can’t wait to make pesto! This is calling my name with all those lovely veggies! Hope your leg feels better!

  76. Hi, I’m new to your blog and I love it! SATC for cooks? Hell yeah, I’m loving you already! Beautiful pasta – to-die for! I just got a whole bunch of asparagus from my brother-in-law’s mom’s (whew!) garden! This is a really good way to make use of them (i have, like, 60 spears!).

  77. Julia says:

    1. I love everything about this dish: pasta,pesto, asparagus, yuuuuuum!
    2. When I don’t run (or workout in some way), I eat like a horse, a pregnant horse who has not seen food in like 18 days. Therefor, I workout, and then I eat more like a human. Most days.

  78. Kelsey says:

    Once again, I feel the need to run to the store so I can have this NOW. What a gorgeous recipe! Hope you’re healing up a bit.

  79. Kathy says:

    Oh boy…such a delicious looking pasta dish! I love everything in it! I think I’ll make a grocery list up right now…YUM!

  80. Candace says:

    I can feel this recipe bringing balance to my life after drooling on my keyboard over those ridiculous brownies you posted. This looks delicious. Pesto pasta is my favorite and when you pair it with roasted veggies, it’s even better. Love it!

  81. Kerstin says:

    Oh no, hope your hamstring feels better soon!

    This pasta salad looks like it would be the star of a BBQ – yum!

  82. elly says:

    Gorgeous pasta salad! I can never say no to pesto and asparagus…well, I only wish I could eat it year-round. So good. Love the green beans in this! Can’t wait to make it. I hope your hamstring feels better soon!

  83. This looks fabulous–so colorful and packed with veggies. Thanks for sharing it with Souper Sundays. 😉

  84. Oh my, the sundried tomato ravioli on its own looks like it would be amazing, but I love how even more amazing you made it with all the add-ins! Gorgeous photos, too!

  85. The pictures are making my mouth water! Delicious dish.

  86. Deborah says:

    Hello, summer on a plate!!

  87. Mandy says:

    This looks fabulous! Have you ever served it cold? I’m wondering if it could also work as a cold pasta salad, because I could see the flavors working either way. What do you think?

  88. Nothing beats a good pesto pasta salad in the summer! Love all the veggies in here!

  89. this looks so good, especially with the mini ravioli in lieu of a more standard pasta shape. genius! i’m bookmarking right now!

  90. Kevin says:

    Now this is a nice way of enjoying some of springs produce!

  91. Finally made this tonight and it was fantastic!

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  96. Ashley says:

    My husband and I absolutely loved this!! Will be making this again….AND SOON! ?

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