Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad

Roasted veggie pasta salad is a fun twist on a summer favorite! This hearty roasted vegetables pasta salad is easy to make and ready in 30 minutes and is perfect for lunch, dinner, as a side dish for parties/potlucks.

Why you will love this recipe

• Hearty
• Filling
• Easy to make
• Fun twist on a summer classic
• Autumn inspired recipe
• Great for parties or potlucks
• 30 minutes
• Healthy ingredients
• Full of veggies
• Great for meal prep
• Vegan, gluten free, dairy free

Ingredients

Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad

• Veggies: Brussels sprouts, broccoli, red onion, red bell pepper – these veggies are easy to find and all roast up in the same amount of time. They are also some of my favorite fall vegetables and pair so well with the creamy balsamic dressing once roasted! You can use whatever veggies you have on hand (see below for more ideas).
• Olive oil and Spices: Salt and garlic powder – Extra virgin olive oil (or avocado oil) is used to coat the veggies before roasting. This helps them get caramelized and cook quickly in the oven. The salt and garlic powder help to season the brussels sprouts and broccoli to ensure they are tasty before adding the dressing.
• Pasta – You will want a pasta with crevices to absorb and catch the dressing. I like to use a fusilli or elbow pasta for pasta salad, but you can use whatever short pasta you have on hand. I do not recommend using a spaghetti or fettuccine style pasta.

Creamy Balsamic Dressing

• Almond butter – the almond butter helps create a creamy dressing without the need to create an emulsification. This also helps keep the dressing egg free and mayo free. You could use tahini or sunflower seed butter in place of almond butter to keep this dish nut free.
• Balsamic vinegar – balsamic vinegar gives this dressing a very distinct flavor. One tip I have is to ensure you like the taste of your balsamic vinegar. Some of the balsamic vinegars I have tried in the past are overly sour and have a pungent flavor which made the dressing require more salt and maple syrup. I personally enjoy the Aceto Balsamico di Modena I.G.P (the red label)  from Trader Joe’s, Kirkland Signature Aged Balsamic Vinegar from Costco or the Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, Premium that you can find on Thrive Market (both of which are a great value).
• Maple syrup – maple syrup is a used to help balance out the dressing and also helps to elevate the natural sweetness of the roasted veggies in this recipe. If you prefer a sweeter dressing, you can always add more maple syrup. If you prefer no added sugar, simply omit the maple syrup.
• Spices: Salt and Dried Thyme – salt helps to enhance the flavors of the dressing and the dried thyme goes well with roasted veggies.
• Water – water is used to thin out the dressing.

How to make roasted vegetable pasta salad

Start by preheating the oven to 425F.

Chop the veggies into bite-sized pieces:

• Quarter the brussels sprouts: Cut off the bottom brown stem, then cut the brussel sprout in half lengthwise, then cut each half in half again lengthwise.
• Cut the broccoli florets into bite-size pieces.  You want the broccoli to be easy to eat in the salad.
• Cut the bell pepper into bite size pieces, about ½ inch.
• Cut the red onion in bite size cubes – Cut the red onion in half lengthwise. Peel away the skin. Cut the top and bottom off each half. Cut the red onion half into cubes by cutting down the onion in 4 equal cuts, then turning the knife and cutting the other direction in 4-5 equal cuts. Repeat with the other half. Add the onions to the baking sheet.

Add the veggies to a extra large baking sheet, or divide the veggies between two regular baking sheets, lined with parchment paper or silicone liner for easy clean up. Drizzle olive oil over all the veggies. Combine the garlic powder and salt and sprinkle over the brussels sprouts and broccoli. Stir all the veggies to ensure the oil and spices are well distributed.

Roast the veggies in the oven at 425F for 25 minutes.

While the veggies are roasting, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the pasta and cook to al dente, according to the directions on the box.

When the pasta is done cooking, drain the water and immediately rinse with cold water until the pasta is cool to the touch, this ensures the pasta will not continue to cook.

While the veggies are roasting, make the salad dressing. Combine the ingredients in a bowl or large jar. Stir well until the dressing is well combined and you are sure there are no lumps from the almond butter.

Once the veggies are done roasting, add the pasta to a large bowl, add in the veggies and pour in the dressing, stir well to ensure all the veggies and pasta are well coated with dressing. Note: If you are making this ahead of time, you may want to reserve ¼- ½ of the dressing for right before serving to ensure the pasta does not get dry.

Top tips

• Be sure to cook your pasta in salted water. As the pasta is cooking, having enough salt in the water ensures that the pasta is seasoned from the inside out. About 1 tablespoon in 4 quarts of water is great.
• Cook the pasta to al dente (according to the package directions). Typically this is the smallest number (if instructions say 7-9 minutes, al dente is typically achieved in 7 minutes. Al dente means “to the tooth” and means your pasta is firm to the bite but is fully cooked (not grainy tasting). Overcooking pasta can make your pasta salad mushy and the pasta will have a tendency to fall apart as you are stirring in the dressing.
• Rinse pasta with cold water immediately to stop further cooking. For lentil or chickpea pasta, you can wait until the veggies are done roasting before adding the dressing. For other gluten free pasta , you may need to add 1/2 the dressing immediately so the noodles don’t stick together.
• Be sure to season the veggies before roasting to ensure they are delicious even without the dressing.
• Use an extra-large baking sheet so veggies have room to roast or divide the veggies between 2 regular sized baking sheets. If you try to put all the veggies on one regular sized baking sheet, they will steam instead of roast and the flavors will not be as delicious.
• Pasta salad can sometimes dry out as it sits in the fridge overnight. If you are making this dish ahead of time, reserve ¼ – ½ of the dressing to pour over the salad right before serving.
• Serve this roasted vegetable pasta salad warm, room temperature or cold, so it’s great for parties or potlucks.

Other veggies you could use

• Sweet potatoes (cut into ½ inch cubes) – you will need to increase the roasting time to 30-35 minutes for sweet potatoes.
• Cauliflower – cut the cauliflower into bite size florets. You may need to increase roasting time to 30-35 minutes for cauliflower to become caramelized and well roasted.
• Butternut squash, acorn squash (peeled, cut into ½ inch cubes) – these should cook in 25 minutes but may need up to 30 minutes depending on your oven.
• Beets (peeled, cut into ½ inch cubes) – you can use red or yellow beets
• Zucchini or summer squash – cut into thicker half moon shapes, you don’t want the squash to be too thin or it will dry up and burn when roasting for 25 minutes.
• Mushrooms – cut in half before adding to the sheet pan
• Tomatoes – cut into cubes for larger tomatoes or add cherry or grape tomatoes directly to the baking sheet, no need to cut in half.

Other additions to this fall pasta salad

• Sweetness: Dried cranberries or dried cherries
• Crunch: Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, pecans or walnuts
• Fresh fruit: Add chopped apples or pears (fresh or you could even roast them with the veggies)
• Fun twist: Add roasted and cooled grapes to the salad. Roasted grapes have the most unique flavor and would add a unique twist!

Ways to add more protein

This roasted veggie pasta salad is incredibly filling as written. If you use a high protein high fiber pasta like lentil pasta or chickpea pasta, it’s even more filling. Some other ways to add protein include:

• Shredded chicken or 10 minute Italian chicken
• Pecan Crusted Salmon
• Salmon bites
• Balsamic Tofu
• Chickpeas or white beans (great northern white beans, cannellini beans)
• Hemp hearts (this adds protein and healthy fats)

How to prep this salad ahead

1. Chop and roast the veggies.
2. Cook the pasta, drain the pasta and rinse with cold water.
3. Make the dressing.
4. Combine the veggies, pasta and at least ½ of the dressing immediately. Reserve the other ¼ to ½ of the dressing to add right before serving.

NOTE: I have meal prepped this using lentil and chickpea pasta and I did not find the pasta too dry in days 3 but have not kept it longer than 3 days in the fridge.

Storage

• Fridge: Store leftover pasta salad in the fridge for up to 5 days. See tips above if you find your pasta has started to dry out after absorbing all the dressing.
• Freezer: I do not recommend freezing this pasta salad, as the roasted veggies may get too soggy when defrosting.

If you love this recipe, you should try

• Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Creamy Balsamic Dressing
• Fall Quinoa Bowl
• Sweet Potato Quinoa Bowl
• Kale Brussel Sprouts Salad with Cranberries
• Buffalo Cauliflower Salad with Tahini Ranch Dressing
• Vegan Creamy Tomato Pasta