Grilled Vegetable Pasta with Basil Pesto Dressing

June 16, 2022

Salad Vegetarian

Grilled Veggie Pasta Salad

Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad with Basil Pesto Dressing

Serves: 6 to 8

 

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Resting Time: 1 hour | Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

 

Ingredients:

For the Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad:

  • 2 ½ cups short pasta (I used gemelli), dried
  • Water, for boiling
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt, divided
  • 1 large red onion, sliced into 1-cm thick rounds
  • 1 zucchini, sliced into 1-cm thick rounds
  • 1 Italian eggplant, sliced into 1-cm thick rounds
  • 1 red bell pepper, quartered, seeds removed
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, quartered, seeds removed
  • 2 tomatoes, cubed
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
  • ½ cup feta cheese, cubed
  • Basil leaves, for garnish

 

For the Basil Pesto Dressing

  • 1/3 cup basil pesto, store bought or homemade
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:

For the Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad:

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add 1 teaspoon of sea salt, followed by the dried pasta. Stir, reduce the heat to medium, and cook according to the package directions until the pasta is al dente. Once cooked, drain the pasta, and add it to a large mixing bowl to cool slightly.
  2. While the pasta is cooking, preheat your grill to 400 degrees F.
  3. Next, prepare the vegetables. Cut the red onion, zucchini, and eggplant into 1-centimeter-thick rounds. Cut the bell peppers into quarters and remove the seeds. Place these vegetables in a large bowl. Cut the tomatoes into cubes and place in a separate bowl and set aside for later.
  4. Add ¼ cup of olive oil to the sliced vegetables along with 1 teaspoon of sea salt and the ground black pepper. Use clean hands to toss the vegetables together to coat them with the olive oil, salt, and pepper.
  5. To cook the vegetables, place them on the grill and cook for 4-5 minutes per side, or until grill marks form and they have softened. Remove the vegetables from the grill and set aside to cool.
  6. Once the vegetables are cooled slightly, cut them into cubes, roughly the same size as the cubed tomatoes. Add the grilled vegetables and tomatoes to the pasta along with the Basil Pesto Dressing and toss to combine.
  7. Place in a serving bowl and top with the feta cheese and a few basil leaves for garnish. Serve at room temperature or chilled and enjoy!

 

For the Basil Pesto Dressing:

  1. Combine the basil pesto, olive oil, and white wine vinegar in a bowl and mix to combine.
  2. Dress the salad and enjoy!