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roasted veggie pesto pasta salad in a bowl with basil on top.

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Roasted Veggie Pesto Pasta Salad

Recipe by Danielle

This Roasted Veggie Pesto Pasta Salad is simple, easy to customize, and so delicious! Use whatever soft veggies you have on hand to create this versatile side dish. 

  • Total Time40 minutes
  • Yield6 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 5 cups soft veggies, cut into 1 inch pieces (any mix of mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, summer squash, zucchini, bell peppers, or other soft veggies)
  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil (divided)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 small head garlic
  • 8 ounces dry corkscrew, fusilli, or penne style pasta
  • 1/3 cup traditional prepared basil pesto
  • optional: chiffonade cut basil for garnish

Instructions

  1. Prep the veggies: Preheat the oven to 425F. Cut the veggies all roughly the same size, about the size of a quartered mushroom. This will help them cook more evenly. Line a rimmed half sheet pan (affiliate link!) with parchment paper and dump all the cut veggies on the pan. Add avocado oil (1 1/2 tablespoons), salt (1/2 teaspoon) and pepper (1/2 teaspoon), then toss the veggies with your hands until they’re coated with oil and spread in a single layer on the pan.
  2. Prep the garlic: Peel most of the outer papers off one small head of garlic, then cut the top 1/2 inch or so off the top to expose the individual cloves. Place the head of garlic on a square of aluminum foil and add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon avocado oil on top. Pull the sides of the foil up tightly and seal the package. Place it in the center of the sheet pan with the veggies.
  3. Roast the veggies: Roast all the vegetables and garlic in the oven for about 25 minutes, stirring halfway through. The mushrooms should be browned and the edges of other veggies should be starting to crisp. Remove the garlic from the foil and paper and mash with a fork – if it’s not yet soft, put only the garlic back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
  4. Cook the pasta: Once you get your veggies in the oven, get some water boiling. Once boiling, salt the water well, then follow the package directions for your chosen pasta (8 ounces) and cook to al dente. When the pasta is done, rinse with cold water and set aside to cool.
  5. Mix everything together: In a large mixing bowl (with a lid!), add the cooled cooked pasta, the roasted veggies, the pesto (1/3 cup), and the mashed roasted garlic if you opted to include it. Gently mix everything together and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve, at least an hour.
  6. Serve and store: Store in a sealed container in the fridge and enjoy chilled within 3-4 days. The roasted veggies may get a little mushy by day 3, but it is still good to eat.

Equipment

(affiliate link!)

Notes

Veggies: The version of pasta salad photographed has 1 small zucchini, 1 small yellow squash, 6 baby bella mushrooms, 1 red bell pepper, 1 green bell pepper, and 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes.

Nutrition information estimated with My Fitness Pal.

  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Category: Sides
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: Italian-inspired

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 1/3 cup
  • Calories: 264
  • Sugar: 1g
  • Fat: 18g
  • Carbohydrates: 32g
  • Protein: 7g

Find it online: https://projectmealplan.com/roasted-veggie-pesto-pasta-salad/