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Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad with Olives

 A colourful and delicious Mediterranean roasted vegetable pasta salad with olives and sundried tomatoes with bow tie pasta and a tasty marinade.

Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad with Olives.

Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad with Olives


As a family, we love a pasta salad for lunch or dinner. 

Don't get me wrong, we do love traditional pasta recipes which are served hot like creamy mushroom carbonara or spaghetti bolognese, but there is something special about a pasta salad.

My latest pasta salad is this roasted vegetable pasta salad with olives and sundried tomatoes.

Although don't worry if you don't like one of those, I do offer variations.


Why are pasta salads so good?


Here are a few reasons why pasta salads are so good.

  1. Easy to make
  2. Colourful and appealing
  3. Usually packed with vegetables
  4. Great for using up vegetables and salad
  5. Tasty dressings
  6. You can use different pasta shapes each time
  7. A dressing is lighter than pasta sauce
  8. Serve for lunch or dinner
  9. Can be made ahead for lunch boxes
  10. Taste delicious

Mediterranean pasta salad in a large white serving bowl.

Pasta salad tips


Here are a few tips for making the best pasta salad.

  • Get ahead - prepare your salad, veg and dressing ahead of cooking the pasta or while it is cooking
  • Plenty of water - cook your pasta in deep salted, boiling water
  • Al dente - only cook the pasta until it is al dente, which is firm but cooked.
  • Cool it - once the pasta is cooked, drain it in a colander, then rinse with cold water until the pasta is cold
  • Shake it - make sure as much water as possible is shaken from the pasta
  • Make it colourful - add a good selection of salad or vegetables to your pasta, remember we need to eat the rainbow for a variety of nutrients
  • Fresh herbs - add fresh herbs for a pop of flavour
  • Room temperature - if you are storing pasta salad in the fridge, take it out and allow to come to room temperature before serving as the cold can dull the flavours

Which pasta shapes are good for pasta salad?



You can use a variety of pasta shapes when making pasta salads, although you do want to avoid the giant pasta shapes as those are more for stuffed baked pasta dishes like this vegan spinach and cream cheese stuffed pasta.


farfalle pasta.


Here are a few pasta shape ideas:

  • Farfalle  - bow tie pasta
  • Conchiglie - shell pasta
  • Penne pasta - pasta tubes
  • Rigatoni pasta - pasta tubed with groves
  • Messicani pasta - I call it belly button pasta
  • Spirali pasta - twirly spiral pasta
Of course, there are so many pasta shapes, you might have your own favourite.

You could even use a mixture if they cook in the same time.

This is quite a fun idea when making pasta for children.


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close up of roasted vegetable pasta salad.

What you need to make a Mediterranean vegetable pasta salad



Here are the simple and delicious ingredients you need to make this easy vegan pasta salad.

  1. Pasta
  2. Red peppers
  3. Courgettes (zucchini)
  4. Red onions
  5. Olives
  6. Sundried tomatoes
  7. Sundried tomato oil
  8. Fresh basil
  9. Dried oregano
  10. Chilli flakes
  11. Salt & pepper


What's in the dressing?



The dressing is very simple.

There is so much flavour from the roast vegetables and the herbs, so it doesn't need much extra flavour added.

I did use some of the oil from the jar of sundried tomatoes which has a lot of flavour.


More pasta dressing ideas



Here are a few more ideas for dressing a pasta salad.

  • Pesto - thinned down with olive oil
  • Sundried tomato paste - thinned down with some pasta water
  • Red pepper paste - thinned down with pasta water
  • Ranch dressing - your can try my easy but delicious vegan ranch dressing recipe 
  • Tapenade - try mixing some olive tapenade through the pasta


Which vegetables are good in a pasta salad?



Here's a selection of salad and vegetables that work well in a pasta salad.

  1. Aubergine - also called eggplant
  2. Beetroot - raw or pickled, but expect your salad to turn pink
  3. Broccoli - lightly cooked or roasted
  4. Butternut squash - roasted
  5. Cauliflower - lightly cooked or roasted
  6. Corn
  7. Courgette - also called zucchini
  8. Cucumber
  9. Green beans - lightly cooked
  10. Peppers - fresh and crunchy or roasted
  11. Red onion - fresh or roasted
  12. Shallots
  13. Spring onions
  14. Sweet potatoes - roasted
  15. Tomatoes - fresh or roasted

Making pasta salad child friendly



If you're making a pasta salad for children make sure you add some vegetables or salad that your child likes.

roasted vegetable pasta salad with corn.

I often add lots of corn to keep my son happy and he also loves olives and cucumber in a pasta salad.

It doesn't have to be just what they like, but make sure there is plenty they like in there.

A lot of children prefer crunchy vegetables rather than cooked vegetables so consider that too when planning your salad.

You also might think about the dressing, so children would prefer it without dressing, so you could mix the vegetables into that pasta, serve the children, and then add the dressing for the adults.



More vegan roasted vegetable recipes



Here are a few more delicious roast veg recipes you might like to try next.

roast veg gnocchi bake.
roast veg gnocchi bake




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How to cook vegan roast veg pasta salad

Scroll down for step-by-step photos followed by a full printable recipe.

Roasted vegetable pasta salad - step 1 - roast the veg.Step 1

  • Preheat your oven (full details and ingredients in the recipe card below).
  • Add your chopped vegetables to a large baking sheet (or two) in a single layer.
  • Season with salt and pepper
  • Start boiling a large pan of salted water, ready to cook your pasta.


Roasted vegetable pasta salad - step 2 - making the salad.

Step 2


  • Add the olives and sundried tomatoes, chilli and herbs.
  • Next, add the oil and toss well, then spread in an even layer.
  • Roast until soft and starting to char, set aside to cool
  • Once the pasta is cooked, rinse until cold and make sure you have shaken off as much water as possible.
  • Add the vegetables to the pasta and toss well.
  • Serve and enjoy!






pasta salad, roast veg pasta salad, roasted vegetable pasta salad, salad, mediterranean pasta salad
dinner
British, vegan, vegetarian
Yield: 6
Author: Jacqueline Meldrum
Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad with Olives

Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad with Olives

A colourful and delicious Mediterranean roasted vegetable pasta salad with olives and sundried tomatoes with bow tie pasta and a tasty marinade.
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 40 Min

Ingredients

  • 500g (18 oz) farfalle pasta
  • 2 red peppers, deseeded and chopped into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 courgette, chopped into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 red onion, sliced thickly, the cut into chunks
  • 100g (1 3/4 cups) sundried tomatoes (about 10 sundried tomatoes)
  • 5 tablespoons oil (from the sundried tomato jar or olive oil)
  • 70g (1/3 cup) green olives
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
  • 1 pinch of salt and pepper
  • 1 handful of fresh basil

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 180c/160c fan// 350f/ gas mark 4. You could use an air fyrer but you would have to cook the vegetables in batches.
  2. Add your chopped vegetables to a large baking sheet (or two) in a single layer.
  3. Season with salt and pepper
  4. Start boiling a large pan of salted water, ready to cook your pasta.
  5. Add the olives and sundried tomatoes, chilli, and herbs to the vegetables.
  6. Next, add the oil from the sundried tomatoes jar and toss well, then spread in an even layer.
  7. Roast until soft and starting to char, set aside to cool
  8. Cook your pasta until it is al dente, then rinse until cold and make sure you have shaken off as much water as possible.
  9. Add the vegetables and oil from the pan to the cold pasta and toss well.
  10. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

  • You can swap the vegetables to use what you have.
  • Make sure the pasta is rinsed cold under cold running water, to wash off the starch and stop the cooking process so you will have firm glossy pasta.
  • You can store the pasta salad in the fridge for 3-4 days.
  • When taking it out of the fridge to serve, allow it to come to room temperature as this will improve the flavour.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

496.84

Fat (grams)

15.5 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

1.46 g

Carbs (grams)

77.42 g

Fiber (grams)

6.79 g

Net carbs

70.64 g

Sugar (grams)

11.85 g

Protein (grams)

14.38 g

Sodium (milligrams)

219.04 mg

Cholesterol (grams)

0 mg

13 comments

  1. I am going to make this using up what I have in the fridge for lunches this week. S

    ReplyDelete
  2. I always seem to end up with my pasta stuck together if I prepare it in advance, where am I going wrong?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cook your pasta in deep water in a large pot, then if you rinse it under cold water until the pasta is cold (once it is cooked), it should be firm and glossy and not stick together. It' s the starch that sticks it together, so if you rinse until cold it will be fine and of course some oil in the dressing helps. Hope that helps.

      Delete
    2. This was a delightful pasta salad. Simple to make and so full of flavor!

      Delete
    3. It really is and a great way of using up veg.

      Delete
  3. We love all mediterranean and never tried these flavors with pasta salad, this exceeded all our expectations!

    ReplyDelete
  4. The roasted vegetables really elevated this pasta salad! We made it for lunch and it was hearty and satisfying!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am so glad you enjoyed it Anjali and yes perfect for lunch

      Delete
  5. I love a good pasta salad and this was delicious! I see this being a staple at all my summer BBQ's!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. This pasta salad was so good. We have been having it for lunches this week. Thanks Jill x

    ReplyDelete

I love reading comments, so thank you for taking the time to leave one. Unfortunately, I'm bombarded with spam, so I've turned on comment moderation. I'll publish your comments as soon as I can and respond to them. Don't panic, they will disappear when you hit publish. Jac x