Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad
Roasted vegetables gives this pasta salad loads of great flavor. A simple spring or summer recipe featuring roasted red pepper, zucchini, eggplant and cherry tomatoes in a light balsamic dressing. It’s a great weeknight dinner recipe and leftover taste great.
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Ingredients
For the pasta salad:
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces (2-3 cm)
- 1 medium zucchini, cut into bite-sized pieces (2-3 cm)
- 1 medium eggplant, cut into bite-size pieces (2-3 cm)
- 200 g cherry tomatoes or mini roma tomatoes, cut in half
- extra-virgin olive oil, for coating the vegetables
- sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 400 g whole wheat or spelt short pasta, such as penne, fusilli, or farfalle (I used spelt volanti)
- 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 large red onion, finely chopped
- 10-12 oil-packed sun-dried tomato halves, drained and chopped (60 g)
- 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- handful fresh basil leaves, chopped (plus more to garnish)
- 50 g slivered almonds, lightly toasted
For the dressing:
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Crema con Aceto Balsamico di Modena (balsamic reduction)
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Method
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Preheat oven to 425°F / 220°C and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Place the red pepper, zucchini, eggplant and cherry tomatoes on the baking sheet and drizzle with a little olive oil and toss to coat. You want to use just enough olive oil to lightly coat the vegetables (about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons). Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste.
Roast in the middle of the oven until the vegetables are softened and beginning to brown, about 20 to 30 minutes. Set the roasted vegetables aside to cool.
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Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil, cook the pasta according to package instructions (until al dente). Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
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In a small bowl, mix the dressing ingredients together until emulsified.
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Transfer the pasta to a large serving bowl, toss with the dressing, garlic, red onion and sun-dried tomatoes until combined. Add the herbs, toasted almonds and roasted vegetables and gently toss again.
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Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Notes
- This salad is highly adaptable to suit your personal taste.
- I imagine adding fresh mini mozzarella balls would taste great. Or for fans of salty flavors, go ahead and top it with a little crumbled feta OR to keep things vegan, add some chopped kalamata olives.
- For meat lovers, adding a little crispy fried prosciutto is also a tasty option.
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