ROASTED VEGGIE PASTA SALAD RECIPE
This roasted veggie pasta salad dish is filled with so many layers of flavor. We have the roasted veggies, the marinade to soak them up with, the thick vinaigrette to toss them in, then the warm pasta to mix everything up with; by far one of my go to recipes year around! You can even double the batch of both the veggies and the vinaigrette and use them for meal prep, leftovers, to salad toppings and even side dishes, this vinaigrette combination goes great on top of roasted sweet potatoes and steamed potatoes. For this recipe we’re getting hints of smokiness from the roasting, the sweetness from the honey to the garlicky, mint and basil flavor of the vinaigrette.
BON APPETIT
CHECK OUT THE VIDEO
SERVES 3-4
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE VEGGIES
1 Pint of grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes [washed, dried and sliced in half]
2 Medium yellow squash [washed, dried and cut into medium bite size pieces]
2 Medium red bell peppers [washed, dried and cut into medium bite size pieces]
1 Medium eggplant [washed, dried and cut into medium bite size pieces]
1 Large bunch of asparagus [washed, dried and sliced into medium pieces]
2 Large red onions [skin off and cut into big bite size chunks, peel away the cut layers]
4 Large garlic cloves [chopped or sliced]
1 [16 oz] box of spaghetti or linguine or you can use fresh pasta like I did in the video
1 Cup of goat cheese for serving [optional]
[See video for cutting + slicing references]
Vegan Options - You can get a “mock” vegan version of goat cheese to replace the regular one. Some awesome “cheese” vegan brands out there are Urban Cheesecraft, Reine, Violife and Miyokos.
Gluten Free Options - Swap out the pasta for gluten-free pasta, zoodles or an egg based pasta.
FOR THE MARINADE
1/2 Cup of olive oil
2 Tablespoons of dried basil
2 Tablespoons of dried oregano
4 Tablespoons of honey or agave
2 Teaspoons of salt
Freshly ground pepper
FOR THE VINAIGRETTE
1 Cup of fresh basil
½ Cup of mint
½ Cup of pine nuts [raw]
3 Garlic cloves
2 Medium lemons [fresh]
1 or ½ Cup of olive oil
[this depends on how much oil you’d like to use I’ve tried it with both measurements and they worked out great]
½ Teaspoon of salt
Freshly ground pepper
TOOLS
Cutting board
Knife
1 Large or extra-large bowl [tossing + prepping veggies]
2 Large or extra-large cookie sheets or sheet pans
Foil paper and parchment paper [optional, easier cleanup]
Nutri-bullet, blender or food processor
Large pot
1 Large or extra-large bowl for tossing warm pasta, veggies and vinaigrette together
Tongs
Spatula
PREPARATION
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Once you have prepped up your veggies place them all in one large or extra-large bowl and mix with either your hands or a spatula.
In that same veggie bowl pour in your olive oil and add in your dried basil, oregano, salt, pepper and mix. Lastly add in your honey and agave and mix once again.
Line your cookie sheets or sheet pans with foil and parchment paper, if you don’t like using either then just spray your sheet pans with cooking spray. Place your marinated veggies onto the sheet pans and divided the mix into the two cookie sheets/sheet pans and evenly spread them out. Place your marinated veggies into the oven and roast them for 45-55 minutes. Meanwhile the veggies are roasting let’s get started with the vinaigrette.
In a nutri-bullet, blender or food processor add in your basil, mint, pine nuts, garlic, fresh lemon juice, olive oil, salt and black pepper. Blend until it’s nice and smooth. Once done pour it into a bowl or a storage container for later use.
Now for the pasta bring your large pot of water to a rolling boil and add in 2 tablespoons of salt you want to make sure to heavily salt your water. Add in your pasta of choice and cook according to the package. For this video I did use fresh store-bought pasta, which I’d recommend because this only takes 3 minutes to cook [al-dente].
Once your veggies are roasted, take them out of your oven and place them on the counter until safe to touch. Once a bit cooled add all these veggies into your large or extra-large bowl and pour in ¼ cup of your vinaigrette, mix to combine and add in your pasta little by little, I good tip to keep in mind is every time you place the pasta into that bowl toss and add a bit of more vinaigrette. Once the veggies, pasta and vinaigrette are all combined then either serve family style or plated individually.
For the finishing touches add torn up pieces of basil or mint or both and sprinkle the tops of your plate or family style bowl with fresh crumbled up goat cheese. This is going to bring so much richness and also creaminess to this dish. If your vegan you can omit the goat cheese and use your favorite vegan cheese.
