Made with roasted summer vegetables, a tangy Greek dressing, and feta, this roasted vegetable pasta salad is fantastic for summer cookouts or as a main dish!
If you're looking for a pasta salad that is jam-packed with flavor, this recipe is for you! It's adapted from the Mediterranean pasta salad that I often ate for lunch when I worked at Taziki's, a fast casual Greek restaurant.
The basic formula is:
- Roasted summer vegetables (red pepper, zucchini, onion, and eggplant)
- A zippy Greek dressing
- The fun stuff: toasted pecans, feta, and chopped olives
It's one of those salads that's great served immediately when still warm, but even better after a few hours of chilling. The flavors meld and every bite is just jam-packed with acidity and saltiness.
Looking for a pasta salad that doesn't use the oven? Check out my Marinated Balsamic Pasta Salad or Mediterranean Pearl Couscous Salad instead.
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Ingredients
- Veggies: Red pepper (orange, yellow also work), sweet yellow onion (standard yellow onion also works), zucchini (feel free to use any summer squash), and eggplant. Unsure about eggplant? Roasting it at high heat makes it really soft and jammy, similar to my Spicy Roasted Sliced Eggplant.
- Greek dressing: This is made with red wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, dry oregano, Dijon mustard, and a touch of honey. Adjust the oregano to taste, starting with just ½ teaspoon and moving up to 1 teaspoon, as desired.
- Pasta: Any kind of medium pasta shape works here. I cook the pasta while the veggies roast, then run it under cool water to cool it quickly. Alternatively, cook it in advance and toss with a bit of oil, then cover and refrigerate to chill.
- Feta, pecans, olives: These are the flavor enhancers. To make this recipe dairy-free, use an equal amount of vegan feta. I prefer green olives, but Kalamata olives would fit the Greek theme well.
- Chickpeas: This ingredient is optional. If you'd like to amp up the protein a bit and make this more of a main dish than a side salad, I recommend making crispy roasted chickpeas tossed with freshly ground black pepper and Aleppo pepper (or red pepper flakes.)
Step-by-step instructions
- Start by cooking the pasta. Meanwhile, slice the vegetables. Toss them with olive oil, salt, pepper.
- Spread the veggies out into a single layer on a full sheet pan. I like to use parchment paper to keep the veggies from sticking. Roast at 425F for 25 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- After 25 minutes, the veggies should be golden. Sprinkle the raw pecans across the veggies and return to the oven for 5 more minutes.
- Make the Greek dressing by whisking together ingredients in a jar or blending in a bullet blender (my preferred method.) Toss just half of this with the drained pasta, roasted veggies, half of the feta, and all of the olives. Cover and chill. Before serving, toss with the remaining dressing and feta.
Top tips
- I recommend adding half of the dressing before chilling and half just before serving. This allows the warm pasta to absorb some of the dressing without drying it out.
- Why add feta in two parts? Because the veggies are hot, the first half of feta melts and almost melds into the dressing. The second half of feta serves a different purpose, acting as its own ingredient in the salad.
- When I ate this for lunch at Taziki's, it was served over romaine. I do think that was a really tasty way to serve it, so if you're looking to turn this into a main I recommend trying it that way.
- I like to add Air Fryer Chickpeas to make this a main dish. If you don't have an air fryer, simply roast the chickpeas with oil, salt, and pepper at 425F for 25-30 minutes, until crispy.
Storage tips
- Storage: Keeps well in the fridge for 3-4 days. The pasta will dry out a bit as it refrigerates, so I recommend reserving some dressing to drizzle on just before serving.
- Making in advance: The vegetables can be roasted 24 hours in advance. The pasta can be made, drizzled with oil, and chilled 24-48 hours in advance. The Greek dressing can be made and refrigerated several days in advance. Shake to re-emulsify before using.
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Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad with Greek Dressing
This zesty, tangy pasta salad features roasted summer veggies and a simple Greek-style dressing. It's great as a side salad at a cookout or as a main topped with crispy chickpeas.
Ingredients
For the pasta salad
- 8 ounces dry medium pasta such as fusilli, penne; see note #1
- ½ medium sweet yellow onion or yellow onion
- 1 medium zucchini
- 1 medium red bell pepper
- ½ large eggplant or 1 small
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon dry oregano
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup raw pecans see note #2
- 1 cup crumbled feta
- ½ cup roughly chopped green olives or Kalamata olives
For the Greek Dressing
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 small garlic clove grated or minced
- ½ teaspoon to 1 teaspoon dry oregano
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon honey adjust to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon salt adjust to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta in well-salted water until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 425F. Prep the vegetables: Slice half of an onion into thin strips, slice the zucchini into half moons, and slice the red pepper into 1-inch pieces. Slice the eggplant into thin circles, then slice those into quarters or roughly similar sized pieces.
- Toss the vegetables with olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper. Spread the veggies out into a single layer on a full sheet pan. I like to use parchment paper to keep the veggies from sticking. Roast at 425F for 25 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- After 25 minutes, the veggies should be softened and blackening in places. Sprinkle the raw pecans across the veggies and return to the oven for 5 more minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine all dressing ingredients in a jar or bullet blender, starting with just ½ teaspoon oregano and adding more to taste.
- Toss just half of the dressing with the pasta, hot roasted veggies and pecans, half of the feta, and all of the chopped olives. Cover and chill for 4 hours. Just before serving, toss with the remaining dressing and feta. Enjoy!
Notes
- Pasta: I use the gemelli pasta shape from the bulk pasta packs at Costco, which isn't the most common shape at grocery stores. Any medium pasta shape works, like fusilli (corkscrew), penne, cavatappi.
- Pecans: If using roasted pecans, just skip the roasting step, but still cook the vegetables for 30 minutes.
- I recommend adding half of the dressing before chilling and half just before serving. This allows the warm pasta to absorb some of the dressing without drying it out.
- Why add feta in two parts? Because the veggies are hot, the first half of feta melts and almost melds with the dressing. The second half of feta serves a different purpose, acting as its own ingredient in the salad.
- I like to add Air Fryer Chickpeas to make this a main dish. If you don't have an air fryer, simply roast the chickpeas with oil, salt, Aleppo or red pepper flakes (optional), and pepper at 425F for 25-30 minutes, until crispy.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 530kcalCarbohydrates: 46gProtein: 13gFat: 34gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 861mgPotassium: 481mgFiber: 6gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 1032IUVitamin C: 40mgCalcium: 204mgIron: 2mg
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Mr. Wilson of the Moment
This moment features Mr. Wilson in all out relaxation mode with a blep that stayed in place for more than a minute. There is nothing I love more than a cat blep! Did you know there's even a subreddit for it? (Of course, there's a subreddit for everything)
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