I found a super yummy recipe for pasta salad! This one pushes quick a bit because of the veggie prep, but you can save time by finding pre-chopped veggies, and/or using them raw instead. While the suggested mix of veggies works really well, you truly could add whatever you like best or happen to already have. What I did was make this during the weekend when I have more time, and it filled the majority of my plate next to a lean protein every weeknight dinner when I’m super pressed for time. I had to look up what verjus was and didn’t even bother looking for it – subbing with red wine vinegar was delicious. Here’s a link to the original source.
Ingredients
- 2 cups uncooked whole grain elbow macaroni or rotini pasta
- Olive oil cooking spray
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced into wedges or chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, sliced into wedges or chopped
- 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced into wedges or chopped
- 1 red onion, thickly sliced into semi-circles
- 1 zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced into half-moons
- 1 eggplant, quartered lengthwise and sliced
- 1 cup whole cherry tomatoes, halved
- 5 oz soft goat cheese, crumbled
VINAIGRETTE
- 1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
- 1/4 tsp each sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh chives
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf or Italian parsley
- 1/2 packed cup whole fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 cup verjus or red wine vinegar
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Rinse under cold water to remove sticky starches; drain well and set aside.
- Mist a baking sheet with cooking spray and add peppers and onion in a single layer. Roast in oven until just browned but not soft, about 10 minutes. Transfer peppers and onion to a large bowl. Repeat with zucchini and eggplant in a single layer, then tomatoes; once roasted, add to bowl with peppers and onion.
- Meanwhile, prepare vinaigrette: In a blender or food processor, blend all vinaigrette ingredients into a smooth liquid.
- Add pasta and vinaigrette to bowl with vegetables and toss well to coat evenly. Top with cheese and serve.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 191
- Carbohydrate Content: 29 g
- Cholesterol Content: 8 mg
- Fat Content: 5 g
- Fiber Content: 5 g
- Protein Content: 9 g
- Saturated Fat Content: 3 g
- Sodium Content: 163 mg
- Sugar Content: 5 g