This vibrant pasta salad leans hard into the flavors this way of eating is built around: fragrant basil pesto, good olive oil, garlic, and a generous handful of pine nuts blended into a bright, verdant sauce. Tender rotini gets tossed until every piece is coated, then folded with juicy halved cherry tomatoes and peppery baby arugula for freshness and crunch. A squeeze of lemon juice at the end wakes everything up, and a scatter of fresh basil on top makes it as pretty as it is satisfying. It's a cold or room-temperature dish that only gets better after a short rest in the fridge, making it an easy make-ahead lunch or side. With olive oil, tomatoes, greens, and herbs doing most of the heavy lifting, this one fits naturally into a Mediterranean-style spread.
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Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook the gluten free rotini according to the package directions until tender with no chalky center, typically 10–12 minutes. Drain in a colander, rinse briefly under cold water to stop cooking, and toss with 1 tbsp olive oil to prevent sticking. Spread on a sheet pan or large plate and let cool for 10–15 minutes.
While the pasta cools, make the pesto: combine the basil, pine nuts, and garlic in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped, about 8–10 pulses. Add the finely grated Parmesan, 1/2 tsp salt, and black pepper, then pulse 4–5 more times. With the processor running, stream in the 1/2 cup olive oil in a steady pour until the pesto is smooth and bright green, scraping down the sides once.
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