Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad (Use Any Veggies!)

Hunting for a new most loved pasta salad? This simple pasta salad with grilled greens, feta cheese, fresh herbs, and balsamic dressing is it! 

When it will come to warm temperature aspect dishes, pasta salad is a single of the most common. It really is fantastic for picnics and barbecues but also can provide as a delightful no-prepare dinner meal. Pasta salad food prep any person?

Recently, I have been switching factors up and employing grilled vegetables in my pasta salad and it was too superior not to share. It commenced with some leftover grilled veggies included to my favored Greek Pasta Salad. Then I couldn’t cease experimenting. 

The stop final result? This dreamy veggie pasta salad with grilled zucchini, pink onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, and asparagus. All these tasty veggies are marinated in a quick selfmade dressing and then tossed with cooked pasta, feta cheese, and refreshing herbs. Yum. 

Wanting for much more pasta salad inspiration? Really don’t miss out on this Vegetable Pasta Salad and Ranch BLT Pasta Salad.

Why You may Like This Pasta Salad

Have confidence in me when I say that this pasta salad will promptly turn out to be 1 of your all-time favorites. It is just so excellent!

• So considerably taste: The trick to making a standout pasta salad is marinating the grilled veggies. The vegetables soak up all the delicious taste of the marinade and ensure that each individual chunk is bursting with taste. No far more flavorless or dull pasta salad.
• Good for meal prep: This pasta salad keeps effectively in the fridge for 4-5 times. In fact, the grilled greens get even greater after a night in the fridge. Make this for meal prep lunches or a rapid weeknight side dish.
• Versatile: Change up the veggies, transform up the dressing, include beans, check out unique cheeses, add protein, or provide it with greens! There are so quite a few methods to make and serve this effortless grilled veggie pasta salad.
• Use up leftover veggies: This salad is a good way to use up any excess make. Pretty much any veggie can be cooked on the grill, creating this salad work no make any difference what you have in the fridge. 

Substances

Below is all the things you have to have to make this grilled vegetable pasta salad recipe. 

• Pasta: Any pasta can be utilized for this pasta salad, but seem for pasta with some ridges to adhere to the dressing. Make certain to prepare dinner it in salted drinking water and right away rinse the cooked pasta with chilly water to reduce sticking. 
• Grilled greens: Use any combination of grilled veggies you like in this salad. Make positive to cook dinner them “al dente” so they still have some bite and texture. No one particular wishes soggy vegetables. My preferred vegetables for this salad are zucchini, mushrooms, red onion, asparagus, and bell peppers. I also like eggplant, carrots, cabbage, corn, yellow squash, and cherry tomatoes. 
• Balsamic dressing: Homemade dressing is so simple to make and tastes so a great deal far better than the bottled option. This 1 has olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, Italian seasoning, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Sense free to swap in crimson wine vinegar, increase some new garlic, and switch up the herbs, 
• Feta cheese: Check out this salad with any kind of cheese you like. Favorites incorporate feta cheese, goat cheese, fresh new mozzarella, Parmesan, blue cheese, or sharp cheddar cheese.
• Contemporary herbs: Adding fresh new herbs to pasta salad is a way to truly elevate the flavors. Refreshing basil, parsley, cilantro, chives, oregano, or dill are all mouth watering.

Best Way to Make Grilled Vegetables

Building grilled veggies is 1 of the most effective ways to prepare veggies in my belief. The slight char from the grill, the caramelized edges – they are just so excellent. In this article are some suggestions for building actually delicious greens on the grill.

• Slash the greens into bigger planks and parts so they will not tumble by way of the grates. Then slice them into chunk-sized parts just after cooking. For more compact veggies, take into consideration putting them on a skewer or using a grill basket. 
• Always start out with a clean up grill to make certain the vegetables do not adhere and fall aside. Oil the grates if your grill tends to adhere.
• Marinate the greens after they occur off the grill, not in advance of. This is the ideal way to get tremendous flavorful vegetables! The veggies soak up so substantially far more taste after becoming grilled. 
• For straightforward prep, decide on greens that prepare dinner in the same amount of time.

Recipe Strategies and Concepts

There are so a lot of means to switch up this salad and make it your individual. Here are some concepts to consider:

• Add protein: Insert grilled hen, shrimp, canned tuna, salmon, chickpeas, tofu, or white beans.
• Switch up the veggies: Attempt this with all distinctive roasted, grilled, and cooked veggies. Mix in some grilled veggies and some raw veggies for various textures.
• Add crunch: Increase some sliced almonds, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds suitable prior to serving.
• Transform the pasta: Attempt this with a modest pasta like orzo or mini shells. It’s also great with rotini, fusilli, or radiatori.
• Test distinct cheese: Transforming up the cheese can have a significant impact on the flavor. Test this with marinated fresh new mozzarella, crumbled goat cheese, shredded parmesan, or cubes of pepper jack. 
• Attempt a new dressing: Despite the fact that I like balsamic dressing, this is also scrumptious with pesto, spicy blackened ranch dressing, or honey mustard.

Building this with Roasted Veggies

When it is not grilling period, consider creating this pasta salad with roasted vegetables. Prepare the veggies in the very same way, tossing them with the dressing/marinade soon after they have been roasted.

This is also terrific for working with up any leftover roasted vegetables you have on hand.