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This Roasted Veggie Pesto Pasta Salad is simple, easy to customize, and so delicious! Use whatever soft veggies you have on hand to create this versatile side dish. Plus it’s great for meal prep – make-ahead and serve cold!
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My garden is slowly kicking into gear, and I’m so excited to share my first recipe of the year that includes produce from my home veggie garden.
This one has a little zucchini squash hidden in there, and all the roasted tomatoes are from a pot on my front porch!
I don’t know a better way to eat veggies than with pasta. Okay, maybe with cheese? But there’s parmesan cheese in any good pesto, so I think we’ve got that one covered too.
Pasta, pesto, and a heaping serving of roasted veggies along with it. Add in some extra protein and you’ve got dinner!
What’s in this Roasted Veggie Pesto Pasta Salad?
*Spoiler Alert* most of the ingredients are in the title, so you pretty much already know. But let’s break it down a little further.
Roasted veggies – This is where you can get the most creative with this recipe. You’ll need a total of 4-5 cups of raw vegetables for the final dish. I use what I have on hand, and always toss some garlic cloves in too. See below for my specific veggie recommendations.
Pesto – Basic basil pine nut parm pesto is what I’m calling for here, but feel free to get creative if you’re confident in your pesto game. My favorite is the Kirkland brand from Costco (and it’s the best price for pesto).
Pasta – I like to use corkscrew or penne shaped pasta for pesto pasta, but really any normal pasta you might have in the cabinet will work.
What else? – You’ll also need some avocado oil, salt and pepper for roasting the vegetables.
Which veggies go with pesto for this recipe?
For this recipe, softer veggies work better than harder, root style veggies. For example, mushrooms and tomatoes are soft veggies while potatoes and carrots are hard veggies.
In my opinion, it’s easier to list the veggies that don’t go with pesto instead of the ones that do. Veggies that don’t go with pesto: Broccoli 😬🥦
That’s really the only negative veggie pesto experience I’ve had! I did not like how the broccoli smell overpowered everything else going on in the dish.
Share in the comments if you tried pesto on a veggies that did NOT work!
Everything else I tried in this recipe tasted good with pesto in this dish. Here’s what veggies go well in this recipe:
- mushrooms, quartered
- cherry tomatoes
- zucchini, sliced
- summer squash, sliced
- bell peppers of any color
- garlic
I really like this chart from Heal with Food for finding veggies that have similar roasting times!
What kind of pasta works best for Roasted Veggie Pesto Pasta Salad?
I prefer corkscrew or penne pasta for pesto pasta dishes, but most kinds of pasta sitting in your pantry will probably work. Even macaroni!
How do you make this Roasted Veggie Pesto Pasta Salad?
There are just a few simple steps to having this pesto pasta salad on your table!
1 – Roast the veggies. Get the veggies going first, as they will take the longest to cook. Preheat the oven to 425F. Try to cut the veggies all roughly the same size, about the size of a quartered mushroom. This will help them cook evenly.
Line a half sheet pan (affiliate link!) with parchment paper and dump all the cut veggies on the pan. Add the avocado oil, salt and pepper, then toss the veggies with your hands until they’re coated with oil.
Roast in the oven for 22-25 minutes, stirring halfway through. The mushrooms should be browned and the edges of other veggies should be starting to brown.
If you tossed any garlic on the pan to roast, remove it from the cloves and mash with a fork. Set aside to cool.
2 – Cook the pasta. Once you get your veggies in the oven, get some water boiling.
Follow the package directions for your chosen pasta and cook to al dente. When the pasta is done, rinse with cold water and set aside to cool.
3 – Mix everything together. In a large mixing bowl (one with a lid!), add the cooled cooked pasta, the roasted veggies, the pesto, and the mashed roasted garlic if you opted to include it.
Gently mix everything together and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve! Enjoy within 3-4 days. The roasted veggies will get a little mushy by day 3, but it is still good to eat.
Should I reheat the Roasted Veggie Pesto Pasta Salad or eat it cold?
My strong opinion is to eat this pasta cold! Pesto doesn’t reheat well and tends to dry out if it’s not in a saucy dish when reheated. Plus, it’s much quicker to just eat it straight from the fridge.
Does this Roasted Veggie Pesto Pasta Salad work for meal prep?
Absolutely, this Roasted Veggie Pesto Pasta Salad works great for meal prep and here’s why:
- no need to reheat as it tastes best eaten cold
- simple to follow steps
- easy to find ingredients
- versatile veggie options
- use up what you have on hand
- lasts 3-4 days in the fridge
Can I add protein to this Roasted Veggie Pesto Pasta Salad?
I think this dish would be delicious with some grilled chicken or other lightly flavored protein!
Feel free to add cooked protein to make this side dish into a main meal.
How long will the Roasted Veggie Pesto Pasta Salad last in the fridge?
This Roasted Veggie Pesto Pasta will last 3-4 days in the fridge. The veggies will start to lose some shape by day 3 but it is still good to eat. I do not recommend freezing this recipe.
More cold lunch recipes from Project Meal Plan:
Did you make this? I want to see how it turned out! Tag me in your social media post @projectmealplan and use #projectmealplan when you share!
Roasted Veggie Pesto Pasta Salad
This Roasted Veggie Pesto Pasta Salad is simple, easy to customize, and so delicious! Use whatever soft veggies you have on hand to create this versatile side dish. Plus it’s great for meal prep – make-ahead and serve cold!
Ingredients
- 4–5 cups soft veggies, cut into 1 inch pieces (any mix of mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, summer squash, zucchini, bell peppers, individual garlic cloves, or other soft veggies)
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 8 ounces corkscrew, fusilli, or penne style pasta
- 1/4 cup traditional prepared pesto
Instructions
- Roast the veggies: Preheat the oven to 425F. Cut the veggies all roughly the same size, about the size of a quartered mushroom. This will help them cook more evenly. Line a half sheet pan (affiliate link!) with parchment paper and dump all the cut veggies on the pan. Add the avocado oil, salt and pepper, then toss the veggies with your hands until they’re coated with oil and spread in a single layer on the pan. Roast in the oven for 22-25 minutes, stirring halfway through. The mushrooms should be browned and the edges of other veggies should be starting to crisp. If you tossed any garlic on the pan to roast, remove it from the wrappers and mash with a fork. Set aside to cool.
- Cook the pasta: Once you get your veggies in the oven, get some water boiling. Follow the package directions for your chosen pasta and cook to al dente. When the pasta is done, rinse with cold water and set aside to cool.
- Mix everything together: In a large mixing bowl (with a lid!), add the cooled cooked pasta, the roasted veggies, the pesto, and the mashed roasted garlic if you opted to include it. Gently mix everything together and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve! Store in a sealed container in the fridge and enjoy within 3-4 days. The roasted veggies will get a little mushy by day 3, but it is still good to eat.
Notes
Nutrition information estimated with My Fitness Pal.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: ~ 1 cup
- Calories: 252
- Sugar: 1g
- Fat: 10g
- Carbohydrates: 34g
- Protein: 7g
Did you make this Roasted Veggie Pesto Pasta? How did it turn out? I’d love to see what you made! Tag me in your post so I can see your creation, or use #projectmealplan to share!
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