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.
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
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant cut into 1/4-inch slices
- 1 zucchini cut into 1/4-inch slices
- salt for vegetable preparation
- 1 tablespoon olive oil for the vegetables
- 1 13 ounce box whole wheat penne pasta
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons high-quality extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon 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
Instructions
- 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.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Vera
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.
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Liz
A lovely recipe. Thanks so much.
Tori @ The Shiksa in the Kitchen
Beautiful! And so healthy. Pinned it!
SaltySweetSour
This looks delicious! Roasted vegetables make everything better.
Karly
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.
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef
This salad suits me down to the ground. I love a roasted veg pasta salad.
Donna
You had me at “roasted vegetables.” JUst love ’em!
Carla @ Carlas Confections
This pasta is screaming my name! I love it!
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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!
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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!
ashley - baker by nature
I love your pasta serving dish! So pretty!
And anything involving roasted veggies has my vote! This is perfect for the upcoming season.
Amalia
Such a brilliant salad!
It looks delicious, easy and healthy.
Your roasted eggplant trick is helpful for me, too.
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust
Oh my goodness. Pasta salad at it’s best! I love this recipe!
Alaina @ Fabtastic Eats
gosh! I love all these flavors! This sounds so wonderful!!
Kelsey
Oh wow. Amazingness!
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Love roasted veggies! They are perfect mixed with feta and pasta!
Annalise
Loved this pasta salad, so lucky I got to sample it!
Becky at Vintage Mixer
Thanks for sharing this yummy salad at my shower. I enjoyed it there, then enjoyed it again for dinner that night 🙂
Mommypage
Wow, this salad looks so tasty! That’s a great idea to add eggplant and zucchini. It seems very healthy!