Pesto Pasta Salad

Pesto Potato Salad

Ingredients
Basil Pesto:
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup Italian parsley leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan 
1 tsp. salt
1/3 to 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Serves 8.

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Salad:
1 pound fusilli pasta
1 red bell pepper, roasted and cut
    into thin strips
1 (2.2 ounce) can sliced black olives,
   drained
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
1 to 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

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Directions:

1. Turn on the food processor and drop in garlic cloves processing until minced. Stop machine and add the basil, parsley, pine nuts, Parmesan, and salt. Pulse to finely chop. With machine running add enough olive oil and process to make a thick paste.

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2 .Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until it is just tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water to cool. Toss pasta with red pepper strips, olives and pine nuts.

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3. Stir pesto into 1 cup mayonnaise and gently stir that into the pasta salad. Toss to combine well, adding more mayonnaise as needed to make a moist mixture. Chill until ready to serve. Add more mayonnaise just before serving, if necessary.