Summer vegetables like bell peppers, sweet corn, and zucchini are roasted to tender perfection and then tossed with garlicky pasta in this flavorful and balanced vegan meal.
This is my new favorite way to serve roasted summer vegetables! During the summer, when I want something a little more fancy than bell pepper pasta, this is the dish that I go for.
Turning the oven on during the summer months requires a really good reason, like zucchini bread or roasted vegetables. Last week I shared roasted veggies with grit bowls, but this week we're pairing roasted summer vegetables with pasta.
Bell pepper, zucchini, and sweet corn are roasted together then tossed with fettuccine and a roasted garlic-miso sauce. The olive oil-based sauce is made using 3 ingredients that are all jam-packed with flavor.
Recipe features
- Flavor: Salty, garlicky, and umami flavors from the miso-garlic sauce are balanced out by the simple roasted vegetables.
- Balanced: Veggie sausage is added to pasta and vegetables for a balanced meal.
- Save time by prepping in advance: If you meal prep or just want to get a jump on the weeks meals, you can save time by slicing the vegetables up to 48 hours in advance. The roasted garlic can also be made up to 48 hours in advance.
- Versatile: This recipe can be made year-round by swapping out seasonal veggies.
- Great for meal prep or as a dinner party main dish.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Fettuccine: I prefer long pasta for this recipe, like fettuccine, linguine, or spaghetti. Feel free to swap with your favorite gluten-free pasta, whole-wheat pasta, or protein pasta.
- Bell peppers: Red, orange, or yellow. Green pepper does work but doesn't provide the same sweetness as other peppers.
- Corn: Fresh sweet corn is so good this time of year. Just shuck (slice) the corn right off the cob. Frozen or canned corn does work in a pinch.
- Cherry tomatoes: These add a big punch of flavor to the sauce and are roasted similarly to my cherry tomato pasta sauce. Roma tomatoes or tomatoes on the vine work in a pinch, but I recommend slicing and coring them before roasting.
- Garlic: This recipe uses a whole head of roasted garlic. I recommend using a large head of garlic.
- Miso: If you're new to miso, it's basically just fermented soybeans. It originated in Japan, and it's a great way to add lots of depth and saltiness to dishes. I use yellow miso in this recipe (and in this vegan mac and cheese!).
- Red pepper flakes add heat. Adding just 1 teaspoon adds subtle spice to the pasta.
How to make
Roasting the vegetables
To roast the vegetables, you need a large sheet pan and a loaf pan or another small baking dish.
Start by laying out parchment paper on the sheet pan. This is optional, but makes clean-up easier and keeps the veggies from sticking to the pan.
Try not to overlap the vegetables on the sheet pan, especially the zucchini. Add the cherry tomatoes to their own pan. I do this because the cherry tomatoes release juices as they roast, which run over onto the other veggies if not contained.
Start by roasting just the sliced peppers, cherry tomatoes, and zucchini for 15 minutes with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
After 15 minutes, remove from the oven and sprinkle with the sweet corn and sliced veggie sausage. Return to the oven to roast for another 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are golden.
Making the sauce
The sauce is just a combination of olive oil, red pepper flakes, miso, and roasted garlic.
- Start by squeezing the roasted garlic into a medium bowl. Add the miso. Use a fork to mash the two ingredients into a paste.
- Add the red pepper flakes and hot oil. To make the hot oil, heat it in a small pot over medium-high heat until shimmering and popping. Whisk vigorously (and carefully) to combine as much as possible. The sauce will not combine fully, but that's okay. If you have a small blender, feel free to blend the ingredients in there instead.
- As soon as the pasta is drained, toss the sauce with the pasta. Use tongs or salad servers to toss until the sauce is well-distributed throughout. Add lemon juice and lemon zest.
- Add the roasted vegetables to the pasta. Toss to combine. Garnish with basil and enjoy!
Expert tips and variations
- For golden roasted vegetables, avoid overlapping vegetables on the sheet pan. Overlapping veggies causes them to steam instead of roast. Some small overlap is okay, but they should be mostly spread in a single layer.
- Other veggies: Eggplant, poblano peppers, okra, and other summer vegetables are all great additions or substitutions. In the fall and winter months, try using butternut squash, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.
- Other protein options: I use veggie sausage to make this recipe vegan, but this recipe is very omnivore friendly and the veggie sausage can easily be substituted. You can also add a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas to the sheet pan to make crispy chickpeas.
- Oven temp: If you are short on time or didn't prep the garlic in advance, you can roast the garlic and the vegetables at the same time. I prefer roasting vegetables at 425F, whereas garlic will burn if roasted at that high of a temp. Just roast the vegetables at 400F instead of 425F; they may not turn out as golden, but it's an easy shortcut.
Leftovers and prep ahead
- Leftover summer vegetable pasta is best within 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave in just about 2 minutes.
- The roasted garlic can be made up to 48 hours in advance. Roasted garlic can be made in bulk and frozen for easy access. If doing this, I recommend squeezing the garlic out of the bulb before freezing.
- The vegetables can be sliced/diced up to 48 hours in advance. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use.
Looking for more summer pasta?
Did you try this recipe? You can leave a star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ in the recipe card or a review in the comments section below. I always appreciate your feedback! Or check out my new cookbook and follow along on my YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest, or sign up for my newsletter!
📖 Recipe
Roasted Summer Vegetable Pasta
Ingredients
Pasta and Sauce Ingredients
- 1 large bulb garlic see note #1
- ⅓ cup plus 1 teaspoon olive oil divided
- 16 ounces fettuccine
- 2 tablespoons yellow miso see note #2
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice from ~½ large lemon
- zest from one lemon
- fresh basil to garnish thinly sliced
Roasted Vegetables
- 1 large orange bell pepper sliced into thin strips
- 1 large red bell pepper sliced into thin strips
- 1 large zucchini sliced into rounds
- 10 ounces cherry tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 12-14 ounces Italian seasoned vegan sausages
- 2 ears corn kernels removed; about 1 cup
Instructions
Sauce and Pasta
- To roast the garlic: Slice the top ½ inch off the garlic bulb, exposing the inside cloves. Drizzle with just enough olive oil to coat the bulb, about 1 teaspoon. Wrap tightly in foil. Roast at 400F for 35-45 minutes, until the inside bulbs are completely soft and golden.
- Meanwhile, cook the fettuccine to al dente in well-salted water. Drain and set aside.
- In a heat-safe bowl, add the roasted garlic bulbs and miso. Use a fork to mash into a paste. Sprinkle in the red pepper flakes.
- Heat a small pot on the stove over medium-high heat. Add ⅓ cup olive oil. Once shimmering and crackling, pour the olive oil onto the miso mixture. Whisk until mostly combined; the sauce will not be fully combined, that's okay.
- Toss the pasta with the miso-olive oil sauce. Use tongs or salad servers to toss until the sauce is evenly distributed. Add the lemon juice and lemon zest.
Roasted Vegetables
- When the garlic is done roasting, adjust the oven temperature to 425F. Layer a large sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Lay out the sliced bell pepper and zucchini on the sheet pan in a single layer, careful not to overlap the pieces too much. In a separate container like a loaf pan, add the cherry tomatoes.
- Drizzle and toss the vegetables with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast on the center oven rack at 425F for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven.
- To the same sheet pan, add the sliced veggie sausage and corn kernels. Return to the oven to roast for another 15 minutes.
- When the vegetables are golden and the cherry tomatoes are burst, combine them with the pasta. Taste for salt and pepper. Garnish with fresh basil and enjoy!
Notes
- Roasted garlic can be made up to 48 hours in advance. Keep refrigerated until ready to use, or roast garlic in bulk and freeze the cloves for up to 3 months.
- Miso is, at its most basic, fermented soybeans. It is salty and umami. White or yellow miso work, though I imagine red miso would be fine too. This is usually available in the international aisle, sauce aisle, or with plant-based refrigerated foods.
- Oven temps: I prefer roasting vegetables at 425F. To save time, you can roast the vegetables at 400 while the garlic roasts, but they may not turn as golden.
Pam
This pasta is exceptionally delicious. I'm not usually a huge fan of zucchini, but the sauce on this pasta makes this dish very hard to stop eating. This is literally so good that I want to make it once a week.
Cassidy Reeser
I love that!! The sauce is definitely the best part 🙂
Jenn
What a delicious recipe! The sauce for the pasta had such good flavors. Instead of vegan sausage, I used crispy tofu, which worked well with the recipe, too!
Cassidy Reeser
Thanks so much for the review! Tofu sounds great with this 🙂