I may have finally found my ultimate pasta salad. And if you are looking for a Meatless Monday vegetarian recipe, this is definitely one to add to the menu. I will never turn my back on two other favorites, one with salmon, tomatoes and an herb dressing and the other with chicken, plums and cumin dressing. But this new version has everything I want in a pasta salad – smoky roasted vegetables (eggplant, zucchini and peppers), briny kalamata olive, salty feta cheese and fresh strips of basil.
The dressing is nothing more than olive oil and lemon. Because the dressing is so simple, it’s important to use high-quality extra-virgin olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Great ingredients go a long way in producing memorable dishes.
If you are planning to make this salad ahead of time for a barbecue or picnic, slice and add the basil just before serving to prevent any discoloration of the basil.
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The recipe:
Lay the eggplant and zucchini slices and a large piece of paper towel. Sprinkle both sides of slices with kosher salt and, using your hands, gently press the salt into the eggplant and zucchini.
Gently press another piece of paper towel over top of the vegetables slices, and let them rest for 20 minutes. This will help to draw some of the bitterness and extra liquid out of the eggplant and zucchini.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Rinse the salt off of the eggplant and zucchini slices, and pat dry with paper towel.
Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray. Lay the eggplant and zucchini on the foil and brush both sides of the slices with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Roast the eggplant and zucchini until they are tender, about 20 minutes. Cut the eggplant slices into quarters and the zucchini slices in half. Set aside.
Cook the pasta according to pasta directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Toss the pasta with the lemon juice, 1/4 cup olive oil and pepper.
Add the eggplant, zucchini, roasted red peppers, kalamata olives, feta cheese and basil to the pasta. Stir to combine. Serve, or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Other recipes with eggplant:
Cookin’ Canuck’s Grilled Zucchini & Eggplant Parmesan Recipe {Vegetarian}
Cookin’ Canuck’s Roasted Eggplant Recipe with Almond Butter Coconut Sauce
Smitten Kitchen’s Baked Orzo with Eggplant & Mozzarella
Appetite for China’s Sichuan Eggplant
Avocado Pesto’s Lao Eggplant Dip
Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad Recipe with Eggplant, Zucchini & Roasted Peppers
From the kitchen of Cookin Canuck. www.cookincanuck.com
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant, cut into 1/4-inch slices
- 1 zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch slices
- Salt, for vegetable preparation
- 1 tbsp olive oil (for the vegetables)
- 1 (13 oz) box whole wheat penne pasta
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 3 tbsp high-quality extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp ground pepper
- 2 roasted red bell peppers (4 halves), thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup quartered kalamata olives (pitted)
- 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 6 basil leaves, thinly sliced
Directions
- Lay the eggplant and zucchini slices and a large piece of paper towel. Sprinkle both sides of slices with kosher salt and, using your hands, gently press the salt into the eggplant and zucchini.
- Gently press another piece of paper towel over top of the vegetables slices, and let them rest for 20 minutes. This will help to draw some of the bitterness and extra liquid out of the eggplant and zucchini.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- Rinse the salt off of the eggplant and zucchini slices, and pat dry with paper towel.
- Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray. Lay the eggplant and zucchini on the foil and brush both sides of the slices with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Roast the eggplant and zucchini until they are tender, about 20 minutes. Cut the eggplant slices into quarters and the zucchini slices in half. Set aside.
- Cook the pasta according to pasta directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Toss the pasta with the lemon juice, ¼ cup olive oil and pepper.
- Add the eggplant, zucchini, roasted red peppers, kalamata olives, feta cheese and basil to the pasta. Stir to combine. Serve, or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Recipe Notes
Liz @ The Lemon Bowl says
This is so right up my alley!! I make a similar version with grilled veggies – can’t wait to break it out soon!
Miriam @ overtimecook says
Such a delicious looking salad! I made a similar salad with grilled chicken recently, but I’m loving this feta version!
Tieghan says
Roasted veggies are my favorite and so is feta cheese! This salad is a must try! Yum!
bridget {bake at 350} says
Dara….this looks SO good! Actually, it’s 8:03am and I thinking I’d like a big bowl of this NOW!!! 😉 Maybe after a run?
Ali | Gimme Some Oven says
This looks incredible! Love all of those veggies!!
Cassie | Bake Your Day says
Roasted veggies and pasta is such a great meal. I love this!
shelly (cookies and cups) says
I love roasted veggie sin pasta…I could eat this all day long!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
Mmm this looks so good!
addie | culicurious says
Yum, this looks so tasty, Dara. I love roasted veggies. This recipe will come in handy when the zucchini is coming out of our ears this summer 😉
carrian says
Love the roasted veggies!
Paula - bell'alimento says
This is totally up my alley! Pasta-licious to say the least.
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
I’m drooling over those roasted veggies… this is my idea of a perfect pasta dish!
Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking says
Such a great pasta salad for summer parties! I love it. Of course, I would toss in TONS more feta, but I’m a nut for the stuff!
Mr. & Mrs. P says
This looks delicious!!! Love the colors of the styling!! Great post!
Mr. & Mrs. P
http://www.cristyandmichael.blogspot.com
Rachel @ Baked by Rachel says
Looks fantastic! And it sounds perfect for spring and summer gatherings.
Jeanette says
I love roasted vegetables – what a beautiful and clean pasta salad recipe – so easy and light.
Nutmeg Nanny says
Oh wow, this looks delicious! I love roasted vegetables and feta 🙂
Robyn Stone | Add a Pinch says
This looks delicious and will be a great way to use all of those yummy vegetables from the garden this summer!!!
Heidi @foodiecrush says
The roasted eggplant is the trigger for me. Luckily I got to taste this lovely in real life! Thanks for sharing, and the leftovers were fab!
kelley says
My favorite part of this pasta salad was the roasted eggplant! I think you might be right- this IS the perfect pasta salad. I’m so glad you shared the recipe and that I got to enjoy it first hand!
Mommypage says
Wow, this salad looks so tasty! That’s a great idea to add eggplant and zucchini. It seems very healthy!
Becky at Vintage Mixer says
Thanks for sharing this yummy salad at my shower. I enjoyed it there, then enjoyed it again for dinner that night 🙂
Annalise says
Loved this pasta salad, so lucky I got to sample it!
Jessica@AKitchenAddiction says
Love roasted veggies! They are perfect mixed with feta and pasta!
Kelsey says
Oh wow. Amazingness!
Alaina @ Fabtastic Eats says
gosh! I love all these flavors! This sounds so wonderful!!
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust says
Oh my goodness. Pasta salad at it’s best! I love this recipe!
Amalia says
Such a brilliant salad!
It looks delicious, easy and healthy.
Your roasted eggplant trick is helpful for me, too.
ashley - baker by nature says
I love your pasta serving dish! So pretty!
And anything involving roasted veggies has my vote! This is perfect for the upcoming season.
Kari@Loaves n Dishes says
I love everything about this pasta salad! In the summer you could grill the veggies and it would almost be like a new dish…I’m always thinking of short cuts, I’m so lazy!
kirsten@FarmFreshFeasts says
Dara,
How delicious–I’m always looking for ways to use the eggplant and zucchini from my CSA farm share, and this looks like a tasty one.
Thanks!
Carla @ Carlas Confections says
This pasta is screaming my name! I love it!
Donna says
You had me at “roasted vegetables.” JUst love ’em!
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
This salad suits me down to the ground. I love a roasted veg pasta salad.
Karly says
Would you believe that I’ve never had eggplant before? I bought one once and then slowly let it go bad, because I was too scared to cook with it. I’m so lame. Roasted veggies are my thing, though, so I imagine this dish would be the perfect way to try eggplant! Also: pasta. Yes.
SaltySweetSour says
This looks delicious! Roasted vegetables make everything better.
Tori @ The Shiksa in the Kitchen says
Beautiful! And so healthy. Pinned it!
Liz says
A lovely recipe. Thanks so much.
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Vera says
Spectacular! I had an eggplant, a zucchini, and an orange pepper that I wanted to use to make some kind of pasta dish, but I did not want to add sauce or tomatoes and this was perfect. I seasoned my veggies with King Arthur Flour’s herbs de provence before roasting and I didn’t bother with the basil at the end. This was delicious.