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Veggie Lovers’ Pasta Salad

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This Veggie Lovers’ Pasta Salad recipe is easy to whip up with whatever veggies you have on hand, it’s tossed with a simple white balsamic vinaigrette, it’s easy to make ahead of time, and — of course — it’s absolutely delicious!

This Veggie Lovers' Pasta Salad recipe is easy to make with whatever veggies you have on hand, it's tossed with a yummy white balsamic vinaigrette, and it's absolutely perfect for a party or picnic or potluck (or any regular weeknight dinner)! | gimmesomeoven.com

Soooo, after majorly slackin’ on our book club picks these past six months or so, I’m happy to report that I finally finished the book in time for book club last Friday night!

And when I say “in time”, I mean just “in the knick of time”, with about 3 minutes to spare before I had to fly out the door to get there.

(Oh yeah, old high school procrastination habits die hard.)

But hey, finished is finished! Which meant that I was actually able to keep up with and contribute to the discussion about the book — Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale — which was absolutely faaaaascinating. Have any of you read that one?! It’s a dystopian novel that’s definitely on the darker side (not your normal “light summer reading”), but I absolutely could not put it down. And with all of the political and social head-scratchers it brought up, I also could not wait to discuss it with my friends. (And see the new Hulu miniseries of the book starring Elisabeth Moss when it is released!)

Per usual, the conversation at book club was rich and awesome, and made me all the more thankful to have these friends and this long-running book club in my life. (And, um, definitely strengthened my resolve to get back on the finish-the-book-in-time wagon! No more slacking!)  And per usual, there was an impressive buffet of delicious snacks and drinks to fuel our evening together.

I’d happened to be cleaning out the fridge earlier that day and had cooked up a bunch of veggies that needed to be used. So since this is apparently my Summer Of Pasta Salads, I tossed them together with some farfalle and a white balsamic vinaigrette to make this fresh and tasty pasta salad. And it was absolutely delicious.

So I’m calling it my Veggie Lovers’ Pasta Salad, and thought I’d share it with you too. ;)

This Veggie Lovers' Pasta Salad recipe is easy to make with whatever veggies you have on hand, it's tossed with a yummy white balsamic vinaigrette, and it's absolutely perfect for a party or picnic or potluck (or any regular weeknight dinner)! | gimmesomeoven.com

Really, this one is much more of a method than a recipe.  Just take whatever leftover fresh veggies you have on hand. (Seriously, just about any will do — I used zucchini, broccoli, bell peppers, tomatoes and red onion.)

This Veggie Lovers' Pasta Salad recipe is easy to make with whatever veggies you have on hand, it's tossed with a yummy white balsamic vinaigrette, and it's absolutely perfect for a party or picnic or potluck (or any regular weeknight dinner)! | gimmesomeoven.com

Then cook them up however works for you. Roast ’em, grill ’em, or just saute ’em in a skillet like I did. (<– Also, I should note that I cooked mine until they were nearly done, but still had a little bit of a bite and held their shape so that they didn’t turn to mush.)
This Veggie Lovers' Pasta Salad recipe is easy to make with whatever veggies you have on hand, it's tossed with a yummy white balsamic vinaigrette, and it's absolutely perfect for a party or picnic or potluck (or any regular weeknight dinner)! | gimmesomeoven.com

Then toss the pasta and cooked veggies together with whatever vinaigrette or dressing sounds good. (I made a quick batch of this yummy white balsamic vinaigrette.)
This Veggie Lovers' Pasta Salad recipe is easy to make with whatever veggies you have on hand, it's tossed with a yummy white balsamic vinaigrette, and it's absolutely perfect for a party or picnic or potluck (or any regular weeknight dinner)! | gimmesomeoven.com

And then — voila! A bright, fresh, colorful, and oh-so-delicious pasta salad will be ready to share and enjoy.

This Veggie Lovers' Pasta Salad recipe is easy to make with whatever veggies you have on hand, it's tossed with a yummy white balsamic vinaigrette, and it's absolutely perfect for a party or picnic or potluck (or any regular weeknight dinner)! | gimmesomeoven.com

Oh, I did top mine with a big handful of freshly-grated Parmesan at the last second, because…I love cheese. :D  But if you want to keep it vegan, just nix that.

So cheers to great food, great friends, and great books. And hey, if any of you have been wanting to start a book club, I just wanted to toss out a link to my tips on How To Start A Book Club (That Lasts). Ours has been going for, gosh, maybe 8-9 years now? And even when I don’t get the books read in time, it’s still always one of the absolute highlights of my month. Highly recommend being a part of one.

Alright, have a great week everyone!

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Veggie Lovers’ Pasta Salad

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 5 reviews
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 6 -8 servings 1x

Description

This Veggie Lovers’ Pasta Salad recipe is easy to whip up with whatever veggies you have on hand, it’s tossed with a simple white balsamic vinaigrette, it’s easy to make ahead of time, and — of course — it’s absolutely delicious!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 12 ounces dry pasta (I used farfalle)
  • 23 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 zucchini, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 3 cups chopped broccoli florets (about 1 small head of broccoli)
  • 2 bell peppers, cored and diced into bite-sized pieces (I used 1 yellow and 1 orange bell pepper)
  • 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • salt and pepper
  • half a small red onion, peeled and thinly-sliced
  • 1/2 cup white balsamic vinaigrette (or any favorite balsamic or Italian dressing)
  • optional topping: grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. Cook the pasta in a large stockpot of generously-salted water al dente according to package directions.  Drain pasta and rinse under cold water for about 20-30 seconds until no longer hot.  Set aside.
  2. Meanwhile, as your pasta water is heating and then your pasta is cooking, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add the zucchini and broccoli florets and saute for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in the remaining oil, then add the bell peppers, tomatoes, garlic, and a few generous pinches of salt and pepper, and stir to combine.  Continue sauteing for 4-5 more minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are cooked to your desired level of doneness.  (I liked mine still slightly undercooked, so that they didn’t get too soft and mushy.)  Stir in the red onion and saute for 1 more minute.
  3. Then once the veggies and the pasta are all cooked, add them together in the large stockpot and drizzle with the vinaigrette.  Toss until the pasta and veggies are evenly coated with the vinaigrette, and toss and then top with extra Parmesan if you’d like.
  4. Serve immediately, or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days.

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24 comments on “Veggie Lovers’ Pasta Salad”

  1. This is the most practical pasta salad ever! I constantly have bits of veggies leftover that I’m not sure what to do with – this is the perfect solution! Looks like a breeze to throw together too. Thank you for sharing, Ali! 

  2. I can’t get enough of the gorgeous colors in this pasta salad! Love it!

  3. I have also been on a major pasta salad kick too. In fact, this looks similar to one I posted a few weeks back. I used slightly different veggies and homemade Italian dressing instead, but it’s very similar to this. Great minds think alike! :) Your version looks really delish.

    • Very cool Marjorie! And ooh we bet that homemade Italian dressing is fantastic! :)

  4. Photo looks absolutely fabulous and it looks liked the pasta salad looks delicious

    • Thank you Karen — we hope you get a chance to try it sometime soon! :)

  5. I make a similar one substituting raw carrots for broccoli and using my favorited bottled Italian to make prepping even more quick and easy.

  6. I’ll definitely be making this… it looks delicious! My summer holidays start tomorrow so it means I have more time to make a better lunch!
    Aleeha xXx

    • Hi Aleeha! We hope you enjoy this and that you have a wonderful holiday! :)

  7. This pasta salad looks SO fantastic. Beautiful colors and a great way to get more freshness in. Love it!

  8. Love all the beautiful colors of the veggies you used in this pasta salad! Such an easy yet flavorful dish! Perfect summer side!

  9. We love this recipe!! It’s now our go to way to use up leftover veggies. That vinaigrette always pulls everything together. :)






  10. Just made this and it was great! I roasted the veggies (425 for ~30 minutes) and that added such great flavor. I added cauliflower as well – one of my favorite veggies to roast! Also added in some seared shrimp and it was the perfect addition. The dressing compliments all the other flavors so well. Will definitely make again!

    • Thanks for sharing, Rachel — we’re so happy you enjoyed it! :D

    • I love cheese. I drain my al dente pasta and while still hot I mix in some parmesan, feta or gargazola and pepper to season an otherwise bland pasta. Salad is best if made at lunchtime and refrigerated til supper. It’s a meal for sure.






  11. Looks good. I just doubled it for my son’s 1st birthday party. You didn’t say anything about the onions so I didn’t cook those. And I’ll add them fresh. I’m also going to add the tomatoes fresh tomorrow before the party so they don’t get soggy. Thanks for the recipe!

    • Thanks, Addi, we hope everyone enjoyed it! The instructions for the onion are at the very end of step two: Stir in the red onion and saute for 1 more minute. They should be fine and yummy raw though. :)

  12. I love cheese. I drain my al dente pasta and while still hot I mix in some parmesan, feta or gargazola and pepper to season an otherwise bland pasta. Salad is best if made at lunchtime and refrigerated til supper. It’s a meal for sure.






  13. My veggie pasta salad usually has cucumber, tomato, red onion, small mozzarella balls and lots of black pepper. But I’m trying to eat more veggies and bell peppers and broccoli are perfect additions because they’re usually in my fridge and I need more ways to use them up before they spoil. Great ideas!

  14. I KNEW I wanted to make this. I read the recipe through a week ago, but failed to cook the vegetables. It was still fantastic. so light and fresh. It will be perfect to share for my vegan friends as well (leaving off the cheese). Thank you.