Roasted Veggie Pasta Salad starts with perfectly al dente gluten free pasta and tender roasted veggies that soak up the homemade Honey Dijon Vinaigrette. But we don’t stop there! A couple of generous handfuls of fresh dill and parsley are scattered on top, then creamy goat cheese is crumbled about along with salted crunchy walnuts. The perfect bite comes together with just about every flavor and texture you can imagine in a beautifully balanced combination. It is hearty enough to be a meal as it is, but can also be topped with any type of cooked protein you like as well.
The Roasted Veggies
Sure! You can change up the veggies! Just make sure that you either cut them so that they will cook at the same rate or cook them on separate sheet pans so that they can be roasted evenly. I chose red bell pepper, carrots, onion and asparagus because they all pair well with the seasonings in this dish, they are colorful and can stand being cooked together on the same tray. Once the veggies are rinsed and cut, they are seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper. In the oven they go until they are tender and slightly browned.
The Gluten Free Pasta
The pasta I like best for this recipe is Barilla Gluten Free Elbow pasta. They cook up al dente in only 7 minutes, don’t get mushy (unless they are overcooked, so don’t over cook them!) and have a clean taste without any grittiness. Make sure to shock them with very cold or ice water after draining the hot pasta water.
Normally, rinsing pasta is a “no-no” because you strip away the starchiness that would otherwise help thicken and flavor the sauce as well as help the sauce stick to the pasta. In this case, we want to stop the cooking process as quickly as possible to prevent it from becoming mushy. The vinaigrette will season, coat and get absorbed by the rinsed pasta without a problem.
Making the Honey Dijon Vinaigrette
This is so simple! All of the ingredients go into a small bowl and you give it a good stir. That’s all there is to it!
Assemble the Roasted Veggie Pasta Salad
I like to mix the roasted veggies, pasta and vinaigrette together in a large serving bowl first. Then top with the fresh herbs, goat cheese and walnuts so that you can see everything in the dish and it looks very colorful on top. If you prefer to mix everything all together at once, that is perfectly okay too. It won’t change the taste!
More Gluten Free Deliciousness to Check Out
- Veggie Feta Pasta Salad
- Priya’s Pasta Salad
- Garden Fresh Quinoa Salad
- Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
- Santorini Rice
- Cauliflower Fried Rice
Roasted Veggie Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 box shaped pasta - I use Barilla gluten free Elbows
- 5 medium carrots - peeled & chopped
- 1 red bell pepper - seeded and chopped
- 1 small onion - diced
- 1 bunch asparagus - tough ends removed, & sliced
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Dressing:
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice - freshly squeezed
- 2 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Toppings:
- ⅓ cup toasted & salted walnuts - roughly chopped
- ⅓ cup fresh dill - chopped
- ½ cup fresh flat leaf parsley - chopped
- 4 oz goat cheese log - crumbled
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a sheet pan with foil and generously grease with cooking spray or oil.
- Chop the veggies into similar sized pieces. Place the veggies in a large bowl, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Mix them well to coat all of the veggies evenly with the oil & seasonings.
- Lay the veggies out in a single layer on the greased sheet pan. If you can’t space the veggies apart from each other, use a second sheet pan. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until tender and browned to your liking. Remove and let cool at room temp.
- In a large stock pot, bring salted water to a boil. Add in the pasta and cook until al dente. For Barilla gluten free elbow pasta, this is 7 minutes. I set a timer and drain the water when it goes off, then shock the pasta with ice water to stop it from cooking. Drain the ice and water from the pasta.
- Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and mix to combine with a spoon.
- In a large serving bowl, combine the cool pasta, roasted veggies and dressing. Top with the fresh herbs, toasted walnuts and goat cheese. Dig in right away or cover and store in the fridge until you are ready to eat.
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