Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad

This recipe for roasted vegetable pasta salad calls for fresh, colorful, and roasted vegetables and puts a twist on traditional pasta salad.

Love pasta salad? Then you have to try this vegetarian pasta salad which is full of marinated oven-roasted vegetables! It’s incredibly delicious and a real crowd pleaser. Make sure to make a big batch of it if you bring it to your next summer barbecue party. 

Roasted vegetables are a tasty way to put a new twist on pasta salad and smuggle in some vitamins. Therefore, colorful fresh vegetables are cut into bite-sized pieces, tossed with a splash of olive oil and grated garlic. Next, roast them in the oven until soft. That brings out the sweetness and amazing flavors of any vegetable.

Make sure to toss the roasted vegetables, cooked pasta, and the homemade dressing while it’s still hot. Doing this will set the flavors together a little better.

Prefer grilling your vegetables? Grilled vegetable pasta salad is especially welcome in summer. Go ahead in the recipe and roast the veggies on the grill instead of in the oven. 

So all in all, this is a really great vegan summer pasta salad, with extra vitamins, that makes an amazing side dish at any barbecue. 🥳

Ingredients

You can find the quantities in the recipe.

• Pasta → Of your choice! I like to use rigatoni, fusilli, penne, or farfalle. Feel free to use gluten-free pasta.
• Red Onion, Zucchini, Bell Pepper (yellow or orange), Cherry Tomatoes → A colorful mix of fresh vegetables. Can be varied according to your taste or what’s left in the refrigerator.
• Fresh Basil → Almost a must for pasta salad! Substitute with fresh herbs of your choice.
• Dressing → A simple dressing made with just 4 ingredients: Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar (red wine vinegar or lemon juice works too), Maple Syrup, and Dried Herbs. Salt & pepper to taste. If you like, you can add some red pepper flakes and dijon mustard.

Visual Step-by-Step Instructions

This visual step-by-step instruction will help you along the way – definitely recommended if you’re a cooking beginner! 😉

• Preheat oven to 390°F (200°C).
• Finely slice onion, dice bell pepper, and cut zucchini into slices. Place the vegetables together with the minced garlic, 2 tablespoon olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper on a baking sheet. Toss well to combine.

• Bake for 25 minutes, turning twice.

• In the meantime, cook pasta according to the packet instructions in boiling salt water until al dente. Drain over a sieve and don’t forget to set 2 tablespoon of pasta water aside.
• Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a glass jar and shake well or whisk them together in a small bowl.
• In a large bowl, toss warm pasta, roasted vegetables, and dressing. Let it sit until cold. → Tossing the ingredients with the dressing while still warm lets them soak up the dressing better, thus resulting in a more flavorful salad.

• Season to taste with salt, pepper, and fresh basil leaves. → I love to mix the salad with a little of the set-aside pasta water to prevent it from getting too dry.

Variations

• Extra Flavor – drizzle the salad with balsamic crema!
• Nuts – mix toasted pine nuts into the salad!
• Deluxe – add pickled artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, and baby spinach!
• Cheese (vegetarian) – top the salad with crumbled feta cheese or shaved parmesan cheese!  Mini mozzarella balls work too for extra protein.
• Vegetables – Tastes also delicious with mushroom, broccoli, cauliflower, fennel, asparagus, or yellow squash.

Make-Ahead & Storage Instructions

This salad can be made up to a day in advance and stored in the fridge until needed. Doing this will set the flavors together a little longer. Hint: I like to take it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before serving! Also, it helps if you stretch the pasta salad or the dressing with some set-aside pasta water. This prevents the salad from getting too dry, without adding unnecessarily much olive oil and vinegar. 😉

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. It will stay fresh for up to 2 days.

More Pasta Salad Recipes

• Greek Pasta Salad
• Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Salad
• Red Pesto Pasta Salad

📖 Recipe