Roasted Vegetable Ratatouille Pasta Salad

A cool and creamy pasta salad with plenty of roasted summer vegetables tossed in a fresh basil pesto dressing!

There’s a ton of amazing local summer vegetables around and this ratatouille inspired pasta salad is a great way to enjoy them! Ratatouille is a French rustic stew made with summer vegetables cooked in olive oil where the vegetables commonly include: eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, and garlic. This recipe starts out by tossing the vegetables (eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper, and onion) in olive oil and roasting them! (I like to roast them as it adds a ton of amazing caramelized flavour to them, and it’s super simple!) Once the vegetables are cooked, they are tossed with pasta, fresh tomatoes, crumbled feta and a dressing! I like to use either a fresh homemade basil pesto (link) or a balsamic vinaigrette (link) for the dressing! I tend to use fresh tomatoes for the contrasting burst of fresh juiciness that they add to the salad but it’s also amazing to roast them along with the other vegetables. This roasted vegetable ratatouille pasta salad can be enjoyed while the pasta and vegetables are still warm from cooking or after being cooled!

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 40 minutes Total Time: 50 minutes Servings: 8

A cool and creamy pasta salad with plenty of roasted summer vegetables tossed in a fresh basil pesto dressing!

ingredients

1 (medium) eggplant, diced
1 (medium) zucchini, diced
1 bell pepper (any colour), diced
1 small red onion, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon oregano (or Italian seasoning (link))
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound pasta (gluten-free for gluten-free)
1 cup cherry/grape tomatoes, diced
1/3 cup basil pesto (link)
1/3 cup feta, crumbled

directions

Toss the eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper, and onion, in the oil oregano, salt, and pepper, place in a single layer on a baking pan, and roast in a preheated 400F/200C oven until tender, about 30-40 minutes, mixing halfway through.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta, drain, and cool in cold water.
Toss the roasted vegetables, cooked and cooled pasta, with the tomatoes, basil pesto and feta and enjoy!

Option: Roast the (whole) tomatoes along with the vegetables.
Option: Add 1/3 cup olives, pitted, and sliced.
Option: Add 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced or chopped.
Option: Add 1/2 cup fresh mozzarella, sliced.
Option: Replace the basil pesto with 1/3 cup balsamic vinaigrette (link).