Pesto Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

2 cups of dry pasta (around 200 grams)

½ cup of basil pesto

½ cup of peas, cooked (around 75 grams)

1 medium-sized colored pepper, thinly sliced

½ a cup of seeded black kalamata olives (around 90 grams)

3 tablespoons of almonds, roughly chopped (around 30 grams)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

The juice of half a lemon

Basil Pesto:

(Recipe adapted from Elise Bauer)

2 cups of basil leaves, fresh

⅓ cup of pine nuts

½ a cup of Roumy cheese, grated

½ a cup of olive oil

3 large garlic cloves, minced

Salt and pepper

To make the pesto:

Combine the garlic, basil leaves and pine nuts in a food processor and pulse several times. Drizzle the olive oil into the food processor while continuing to blend. Pour in a thin stream until finished. Pulse until smooth then add the salt, pepper and cheese. Pulse 2 more times before pouring out.

For the pasta:

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil then add your dried pasta. Cook until tender but firm. When done, drain and set the pasta aside. In a separate bowl, combine the peas, olives, colored pepper and almonds then add the pasta. Toss and store in an airtight container. Put the pesto and lemon juice into a separate covered container. Refrigerate both. Remove from the refrigerator when it is time to pack. Whisk the pesto and lemon juice together before pouring it over the pasta and accompanying vegetables. Toss gently and separate servings for packing.