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Home Pasta and Rice Salads

MARINATED Vegetarian Pasta Salad!

By:Nagi
Published:6 Jan '22Updated:6 Jan '22
151 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

How do you make a Vegetarian Pasta Salad so fabulous that even this self confessed carnivore can’t get enough of it? MARINATE the vegetables! This big, fat pasta salad recipe is a standout – it’s juicy, it’s flavour loaded and it looks as amazing as it tastes! Excellent summer food that lasts for days.

Close up of Amazing Vegetarian Pasta Salad

Vegetarian Pasta Salad

Who would’ve thought those random veggies you’ve got left in the bottom of your fridge could be transformed into something as incredible as this Vegetarian Pasta Salad??

Forget limp, bland veggies sitting sadly amongst tasteless, soggy pasta. THIS cold pasta salad is the polar opposite of that. It’s vibrant, it’s flavour loaded, it’s JUICY, and will make even green-haters scoff down a weeks’ worth of veggies in one sitting!

Marinating the vegetables for just 30 minutes makes all the difference in this pasta salad!

Vegetarian Pasta Salad recipe in a large white bowl, ready to be served

How to make this summer Vegetable Pasta Salad

Cook veggies (BBQ or oven) -> marinade in dressing -> toss through pasta.

Yep. That’s it.

(OK I might’ve skipped a few steps like chop / oil / salt ‘n pepper the veggies, but you get the gist!)

How to make this amazing Vegetarian Pasta Salad

Pro tip – how to keep your pasta salad JUICY (without using tons of oil)

Pasta salads keep well for days upon days, but the pasta tends to suck up all the dressing and vegetable juices. So to keep this nice and juicy if serving this 2, 3 or even 4 days later, the trick is to shake up the dressing with some pasta cooking water to make more dressing without using copious amounts of oil.

This is what happens: pasta cooking water is starchy from the pasta. The starch emulsifies with the oil in the dressing and thickens the pasta cooking water so it’s the consistency of dressing. You have more dressing (with the same amount of flavour in it) so you can reserve some to make the pasta salad nice and juicy when you serve it up the next day….and the next!

Vegetables for pasta salad

The beauty of this Vegetarian Pasta Salad recipe is this – there are no rules. You can literally put any roastable/grillable veggie in this – and it’s going to be amazing.

Oh wait. That was a grand statement that sounded really good but I realised was a bit untrue. I think potato might be a bit odd. While the notion of carb-on-carb is not something that has passed me by over the years (potato pizza, anyone??), I don’t think it will quite work here.

But that’s the only exception! 😂

Here’s what I use.

Vegetables for Vegetarian Pasta Salad

Now, I confess these were not just dregs of my fridge – I specifically wanted to use the same veggies I used in the Marinated BBQ Vegetables so I could use the same clips in the video to show that you can either roast OR BBQ the vegetables. 😇

But here’s a photo from another time I made this Vegetarian Pasta Salad using other vegetables (I spy cauliflower and broccoli) and also a mix of leftover pasta I had.

Overhead photo of cold pasta salad made with roasted vegetables

Marinade-Dressing for vegetables (double duty!)

And here’s the marinade / dressing I use for this pasta salad recipe. You get great bang for your buck with this marinade:

  1. When you toss hot vegetables in a dressing, they suck up the flavour which makes the veggies even tastier;

  2. As the veggies marinate, they sweat and creates tasty juices which makes this pasta salad extra juicy and tasty; and

  3. Hold back some of the dressing to add a fresh hit of flavour at the end.

Ingredients for vegetable marinade
Pouring lemon garlic pasta salad dressing over Vegetable Pasta Salad

I make this a LOT!

I make this Vegetarian Pasta Salad a LOT. This, along with Baked Frittata, is one of my favourite ways to use up leftover vegetables at the end of the week because they can be made with any roast-able vegetables, and it lasts for days and days so you can make it now when your veggies are at the end of their life, but eat it later.

Some more Leftover Veg favourites include: Vegetarian Lasagna (double up on veg and skip the ricotta layer), Cheesy Vegetable Pasta and this One Pan Roasted Vegetables and Seasoned Rice.

Serving cold pasta salad

How to serve it

Serve this Vegetarian Pasta Salad as:

  • a side dish to anything (well, perhaps anything non-Asian!)

  • a meal in itself

  • work lunch!

  • GREAT for potlucks and gatherings – transportable, colourful, and of course super delish

  • serve it at room temp OR slightly warm

And while it is meat free, you could certainly add a hit of protein by adding some shredded chicken! – Nagi x

Overhead photo of marinated Vegetable Pasta Salad

Watch how to make it

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Close up photo of my favourite Vegetable Pasta Salad

Marinated Vegetarian Pasta Salad

Author: Nagi
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Marinating: 30 mins
Total: 1 hr 15 mins
Mains, Side Dish
Western
5 from 59 votes
Servings8 – 10
Tap or hover to scale
Print
  • 169
Recipe video above! How do you make the best ever vegetable pasta salad? MARINATE the veggies. Roast or BBQ any veg you want, then toss in a marinade so they absorb the flavour while hot before mixing through pasta.
This is a big, fat JUICY flavour loaded pasta salad that lasts for days and days – see PRO TIP for keeping pasta salads juicy!

Ingredients

  • 400g / 14oz curly pasta , dried (or other of choice)
  • 1/4 cup parsley , roughly chopped (or chives)
  • 120g / 4oz feta , crumbled into big chunks

Vegetables (Note 1):

  • 2 capsicum/bell peppers (1 red, 1 yellow), cut into 2.5cm / 1" pieces
  • 1 red onion , cut into wedges
  • 1 eggplant , halved lengthwise, then 1.25cm/ 0.5″ thick semi circles
  • 2 zucchini , cut into 1.5cm / 2/3" chunks (see video)
  • 200g/ 7oz button mushrooms , halved (large ones quartered)
  • 1 bunch asparagus , ends trimmed, cut into 5cm/2" lengths

Roasting:

  • 1/4 cup (65ml) extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp each salt and pepper
  • 3 cloves garlic , minced

Marinade / Dressing:

  • 1/3 cup (85ml) lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup (85ml) extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tsp white sugar
  • 2 garlic cloves , minced
  • 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
  • 1/2 tsp each dried basil, parsley, oregano, thyme (Note 2)
  • 1/2 – 1 tsp chilli flakes (adjust spice to taste, Note 3)

Instructions

Marinade/Dressing:

  • Place ingredients in a jar and shake well. Set aside 10 minutes+.

Roasted Vegetables:

  • Preheat oven to 250°C/480°F (230°F fan) – super high heat replicates BBQ charred edges.
  • Toss veggies in oil – Place all vegetables other than asparagus in a large bowl. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic, toss.
  • Spread vegetables on 2 trays (fill one less than the other). Roast 25 minutes, tossing once.
  • Add asparagus – Drizzle asparagus with oil and pinch of salt and pepper. Add into oven for last 5 minutes.
  • BBQ Option: See Marinated BBQ Vegetables for directions.

Pasta salad:

  • Marinate veggies – Transfer vegetables into large bowl, pour over 1/2 the Dressing. Toss, then leave to marinate for 30 minutes to 3 hours.
  • Cook pasta + 2 minutes: In large pot of salted water, cook pasta per packet directions but ADD 2 minutes to the cook time (Note 5 for why). Drain and return pasta into pot.
  • Add vegetables, including veg juices, into the pasta pot. Add remaining Dressing and parsley, then toss. Set aside for 15 minutes to cool slightly.
  • Serve! Sprinkle with feta and serve! Keeps 4 – 5 days, serve at room temp.

Make ahead PRO TIP (Note 4):

  • SCOOP OUT a mug of pasta cooking water just before draining. Add 3 tbsp water to reserved Dressing (after marinating veg), shake well. Use this Dressing per above, but reserve 3 tbsp to freshen up pasta salad on Day 2 onwards.
  • Freshen up pasta salad: Bring to room temp or briefly microwave (cold pasta = dry) to warm gently. Toss with Reserved Dressing then serve.

Recipe Notes:

SERVINGS: Serves 5 to 6 as a meal, or 8 – 10 as a side.
1. Vegetables – feel free to switch up as desired., any roast-able veggies will be great! Also note, it looks like a huge volume uncooked but it shrinks by about 30% once cooked!
  • 25 min roasting – listed veggies, cauliflower, carrots, corn on cob (cut kernels off), parsnip, root veg, pumpkin
  • 15 – 20 min – broccoli, broccolini, fennel, beetroot (cubes), leeks
  • 5 minutes – asparagus, green beans, peas.
  • No cook – olives, artichokes, sun dried tomatoes and other pickled/antipasto veg, tomato, cucumbers, leafy greens.
2. Herbs – you want 2 tsp in total, just sub / double up on what you have. Or use a Mixed Herbs or Italian Herbs.
3. Chilli Flakes – aka red pepper flakes. I use 1 tsp because I like the buzz of heat!
4. PRO TIP to keep pasta salads juicy when making ahead (as they tend to dry out the next day) – increase volume of dressing by shaking it up with pasta cooking water. Starch in water emulsifies with fat in dressing = more dressing volume, same amount of flavour = can reserve some dressing = juicier pasta salad.
Also, cold pasta is drier. Let it come to room temp or even microwave briefly, the toss with reserved Dressing!
5. Cook pasta until extra soft because pasta firms up when cool. By cooking the pasta beyond al dente, it keeps the pasta softer even when refrigerated. So much more pleasant to eat!
6. Storage – Great fresh, even better on Day 2! I’ve kept this for 4 – 5 days and it still tasted great, I added a squeeze of fresh lemon. Best served at room temperature.
7. Nutrition per serving, assuming 8 serves.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 513cal (26%)Carbohydrates: 71g (24%)Protein: 12g (24%)Fat: 24g (37%)Saturated Fat: 5g (31%)Cholesterol: 14mg (5%)Sodium: 631mg (27%)Potassium: 870mg (25%)Fiber: 6g (25%)Sugar: 17g (19%)Vitamin A: 1412IU (28%)Vitamin C: 176mg (213%)Calcium: 130mg (13%)Iron: 2mg (11%)
Keywords: Grilled vegetable marinade, Grilled vegetables, vegetable pasta salad
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

Originally published July 2019. Writing tidied up January 2022, no change to recipe, I wouldn’t dare!

Life of Dozer

Potato Wedges. He doesn’t have quite the same response with vegetables. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Dozer the golden retriever dog licking lips at sight of potato wedges
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Hi, I'm Nagi!

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151 Comments

  1. Hilary says

    February 5, 2022 at 3:26 am

    5 stars
    SO delicious! I’m not a huge pasta salad person, but I love roasted veggies so I tried it out. This is probably the best recipe I’ve made in months. Flavorful, flexible, easy! This is my first recipe from this site but won’t be my last.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      February 5, 2022 at 11:53 pm

      Welcome!! So glad that you enjoyed it!! N x

      Reply
  2. Lynette Morton says

    February 3, 2022 at 8:44 pm

    5 stars
    Made this for our Lunch Club group and it was praised mightily.
    More importantly are you okay Nagi? II miss seeing new posts.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      February 6, 2022 at 12:22 am

      I’m fine! Just working hard on the cookbook!! N x

      Reply
  3. Victoria says

    February 2, 2022 at 5:37 am

    This pasta salad is sooo refreshing and delicious. My boyfriend and I had it for 4 days straight and we agreed we would be happy eating this every day. Added it to my rotation. Thank you 🙂

    Reply
  4. Wendy says

    February 1, 2022 at 8:23 am

    Hi Nagi and Dozer, I had this at a friends a while back. She’s one of your followers too. Just made it myself. Used heirloom carrots, broccoli, red onion, bell peppers and zucchini. It is delicious! Thankyou. 😁😋🇨🇦

    Reply
  5. Rahul says

    February 1, 2022 at 5:54 am

    5 stars
    I just made this recipe today, and it was so good. Its taste was very good. Thank you for sharing with us.

    Reply
  6. Theany says

    January 29, 2022 at 5:35 am

    5 stars
    Made this today so delicious. My oven wouldn’t go up to 480F today so I broil the vegetable instead it turned out better than I thought, follow the recipe instruction it’s perfect it’s soooooo good! Another awesome recipe for keep! Thanks Nagi and Dozer

    Reply
  7. Averil says

    January 28, 2022 at 8:22 pm

    5 stars
    I did not expect this to be as delicious as it was. I added hot smoked salmon and it was so moreish. This will now be on high rotation in my house.

    Reply
  8. Macy says

    January 28, 2022 at 2:59 am

    Can’t wait for you n Dozer to be back.

    Reply
  9. Kate says

    January 27, 2022 at 10:45 am

    This recipe was absolutely delicious. I made it the day before and followed all tips – it worked out perfectly!
    Everyone enjoyed it.
    I roasted the veggies in our Weber q and it added great flavour.

    Reply
  10. Darlene says

    January 25, 2022 at 11:24 am

    5 stars
    This is the best pasta salad I have ever tasted hands down. Good riddance to pasta salad with raw veggies and mayonnaise this is the bomb. I used peppers, red onions, mushrooms, asparagus topped with feta cheese and olives. It really cold here in Canada as we are deep in our winter 🥶 I can’t imagine how delicious this will be in the summer. Thank you very much for sharing this killer pasta salad. I followed the recipe and the dressing is over the top deliciousness!!!.

    Reply
  11. Caw says

    January 25, 2022 at 3:23 am

    5 stars
    The flavors were excellent. But, there was a little too much pasta for me. Next time I make this I will add the pasta to the vegetables, instead of the other way around.

    Reply
    • Caw says

      January 26, 2022 at 11:48 am

      Changed my mind. The pasta was just right.

      Reply
  12. Catherine says

    January 22, 2022 at 1:48 pm

    Served this up to book club group. Everyone asked for the recipe. And fortunately for us, they didn’t quite finish it all, so we got to have leftovers the next day!!

    Reply
  13. Gillian says

    January 21, 2022 at 9:06 am

    5 stars
    As always a delicious pasta salad..BTW did you get the message I sent you on your gmail?

    Reply
  14. Matt says

    January 20, 2022 at 4:31 pm

    5 stars
    I love this vegetable medley and the dressing is perfect. I’ve made it a few times now and it’s so versatile. I used it on a toastie this morning, along with your sauerkraut and it was delicious. Thank you.

    Reply
  15. Aimee says

    January 19, 2022 at 4:04 pm

    5 stars
    Hands down the BEST pasta salad I’ve tasted. The dressing is really the key element for the flavours.
    I also put handfuls of spinach in when I added the pasta, which wilted through for extra greens.

    Reply
  16. Jocelyn Wilhelm says

    January 17, 2022 at 3:53 pm

    I love making pasta with roasted vegetables. This one looks amazing. I love all the colors!

    Reply
  17. Robyn says

    January 15, 2022 at 1:08 pm

    5 stars
    This salad is so beautiful Nagi! I added a little bacon, can’t wait to try it with chicken next time!

    Reply
  18. Carly says

    January 13, 2022 at 7:51 am

    5 stars
    Had a lot of veggies in the fridge to use up and came across this recipe. Didn’t have lemon so had to substitute with lime. OMG this is now my favourite pasta salad recipe! Your recipes never disappoint Nagi.

    Reply
  19. Bek Poss says

    January 12, 2022 at 8:26 pm

    5 stars
    Ooh this is a little bit naughty! 6 serves only lasted us 3 🥴 Probably the best pasta salad I’ve had. A keeper for sure…..

    Reply
  20. Dominique says

    January 8, 2022 at 10:47 pm

    it’s a pity that it’s winter here, all these recipes with summer vegetables make your mouth water, while we endure the cold, the fog and the frostbite 😉

    We have to keep it under the elbow for a further few months, while you enjoy it in the South

    Best, Dom

    Reply
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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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