Meera Sodha’s recipe for pasta salad with almonds, tomatoes and basil | The new vegan

I’m thankful that pasta salad fell out of favour for a brief decade, because now, like a dog who lost its stick, forgot about it and then found it again, I’m utterly besotted. This time, however, I want to move the heart of the dish from a British garden party circa 1990 to a sultry, outdoor lunch under the heat of the Sicilian sun. So here are pasta shells cooked in sea salt, then tumbled with a fresh, Trapanese-style pesto made using tomatoes, almonds, basil and extra-virgin olive oil.

Pasta salad with almonds, tomatoes and basil

You’ll need a blender, Nutribullet or small food processor to make this.

Prep 5 min
Cook 30 min
Serves 4

Fine sea salt
350g ripe, sweet, cherry tomatoes, quartered
50g basil, leaves picked
150g blanched skinless almonds
1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
75ml extra-virgin olive oil
400g conchiglie, or similar

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil for the pasta (I add a teaspoon of salt per litre of water).

While the water is heating up, put 150g of the tomatoes, half the basil leaves and all the almonds, garlic, oil and three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt in a blender and blitz to a pesto-like consistency.

When the water has come to a boil, cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, until al dente, then drain, rinse under the cold tap until cool to the touch, then drain again thoroughly.

Put the almond pesto and the cooked pasta in a large bowl and toss to coat really well. Add the rest of the quartered tomatoes, tear in the remaining basil leaves, and mix again. Serve with a big spoon for people to help themselves.