Roasted Summer Vegetable Pasta

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!

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.

1. Start by squeezing the roasted garlic into a medium bowl. Add the miso. Use a fork to mash the two ingredients into a paste.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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?

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