Pesto Pasta Salad with Grilled Summer Vegetables (Vegan + Gluten-Free)
Hi! Welcome back to part 2 of…
— THE SUMMER SALAD SERIES —
Today’s salad is a PASTA salad because, well, pasta with a ton of veggies and greens is my kinda salad. I’m personally not a fan of the more traditionally “creamy” pasta salads, so I decided to make a version that is doused in pesto (debatably my favourite sauce) and loaded with grilled summer vegetables.
This is very much the perfect dish for an outdoor summer dinner, a potluck party or just a delicious meal prep lunch. My pesto pasta salad with grilled summer vegetables is:
Vegan
Gluten-free (I used a brown rice pasta!)
Super fresh from the herb-y pesto
Full of delicious veg like zucchini, bell peppers and arugula. I also think adding roasted squash would be amazing!
The perfect make-ahead dish for a potluck or your weekly meal prep
If you make this recipe, I hope you love it and plz tag me on Instagram so I can see! xo
Pesto Pasta Salad with Grilled Summer Vegetables (Vegan)
Ingredients
½ red onion, cut into chunks
1 large zucchini, sliced diagonally into half moons
1 bell pepper, cut into chunks
⅓ cup olive oil, plus more for cooking the veg
1 large clove garlic
Handful of green onions or chives
¼ cup walnuts (or pine nuts)
1 packed cup fresh basil
½ tsp sea salt
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional, for a “cheesy” taste)
2 cups gluten-free pasta of choice (cook and rinse in very cold water right after cooking)
2 cups arugula
Sea salt + black pepper
Crumbled soft vegan cheese (or goat cheese), for serving
Chives + sea salt, for serving
Method
Cook your pasta according to the package directions. Drain and rinse in VERY cold water immediately, then set aside.
Cut up all of your vegetables, making sure they’re around the same size so they cook evenly. Coat your onion, zucchini and pepper chunks in a good drizzle of olive oil and lots of salt + pepper. If you have a grill, cook veg until they’re tender-crispy and slightly charred. Alternatively, air fry them at 400 degrees for 15-20 mins until crispy + charred (that’s what I did). You can also roast in a 425 degree oven for the same amount of time.
Blend together your olive oil, garlic, chives, walnuts, basil, salt, lemon and nutritional yeast until smooth. Taste and add more lemon or salt if desired.
Add your cooked pasta to a big bowl and season with salt + pepper. Add your grilled veg and then pour the pesto overtop. Mix to evenly coat the pasta.
Before serving, add the arugula and crumbled vegan cheese. Top with chives and more sea salt if desired!
Serves 4
