This summer, make the most of fresh, seasonal vegetables with this delicious grilled vegetable pasta salad recipe. Packed with delicious, seasonal ingredients, it’s the perfect dish to enjoy on a warm summer day.
This post is sponsored by The National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA) and Land O’Lakes. All opinions are my own. For more inspiration during #JuneDairyMonth, be sure to check out delicious ideas from NFRA at EasyHomeMeals.com or Land O’Lakes at landolakes.com #JDM2022
It is the unofficial start of summer, and I don’t know about you, but I hate using my oven when it is over 75 degrees out! My grill instantly becomes my cooking sidekick, and I typically opt for easy, fresh meals that incorporate the veggies we grow in our very own garden.
While it is too early for our squash, peppers, onions, and zucchini harvest, we are fortunate enough to have a year-round farmer’s market close by. That is where I purchased the veggies for this easy summer pasta salad.
Ingredients & Variations
Veggies – Summer squash, zucchini, broccoli, red pepper (roasted or freshly grilled), and onion shine in this salad. You can use grilled eggplant or mushrooms for a meatier texture.
Cheese – I love adding salty feta to liven up pasta salads. You could however use blue cheese, gorgonzola, queso fresco, or even goat cheese.
Pasta – Any shape will work, but I do have an affinity for bowtie pasta (farfalle).
Butter – I love the taste of buttered, grilled vegetables. The LAND O LAKES brand is one that I grew up with, so it is typically in my fridge. I love that Land O Lakes® Butter with Canola Oil is so spreadable, and simply delicious for veggies, bread, or even on muffins!
Vinegar – I used red wine vinegar in my simple dressing, but you can use white champagne vinegar if you’d please.
Making Grilled Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad
Start by grilling your summer vegetables using Land O Lakes® Butter with Canola Oil – we love using zucchini, yellow squash, and onion. Once they’re nicely char-grilled, add them to cooked pasta along with roasted red peppers and feta cheese (you can also use grilled red peppers). Toss everything with a simple dressing of olive oil and red wine vinegar, and you’re good to go!
Butter with Canola Oil
I always love to grill my summer veggies with butter products because I feel it adds a rich flavor. By using Land O Lakes® Butter with Canola Oil, I can easily char-grill my vegetables and lock in an abundance of flavor. When you purchase Land O Lakes® products, you support American farmers nationwide. You can learn more about their farmer-owned dairy co-op.
Storing
Although this pasta salad does not freeze well, you can store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days when stored properly in an airtight container.
Dairy Sweepstakes
Visit Easy Home Meals for great recipe and meal solutions and to enter the June Dairy Month Sweepstakes for a chance to win up to $10,000 in prizes!
More Summer Pasta Salads to Try
Grilled Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
- cutting board & knife
- Grill
- grilling pan
- spoon
Ingredients
Pasta Salad
- 1 small zucchini, sliced into coins and halved
- 1 small yellow summer squash, sliced into coins and halved
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 2 medium broccoli crowns, remove excess stems
- 12 ounces bowtie pasta cooked al dente
- ½ cup Land O Lakes® Butter with Canola Oil, Use a spoon to scoop out dollops to add to the veggies before grilling.
- 12 ounces roasted red peppers, chopped
- ¾ cup feta cheese crumbled
Vinaigrette
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to 400° F. and cut/prepare all vegetables. We used a grill pan sprayed with nonstick spray since we had smaller vegetable pieces that could fall through the grill grates.
- Bring a stockpot of water to a rapid boil and add pasta. Boilfor about 10-12 minutes or until al dente, stirring often.
- Drain pasta and rinse with cold water; set aside.
- Season vegetables with salt and pepper. Add dollops of Land O Lakes® Butter with Canola Oil.
- Grill for about 8-10 minutes, stirring veggies every so often to evenly grill them. Once tender, remove them from the heat.
- In a large bowl, add drained pasta, grilled veggies, roasted red pepper, and cheese.
- In a small bowl, stir together all Vinaigrette ingredients.
- Pour the Vinaigrette over the salad, and stir. Chill for at least one hour to allow flavors to meld.
- Serve chilled.
I made this pasta salad for lunch today and it was so easy and satisfying!
I love a good pasta salad! I plan to make this for our Father’s Day cookout!
This is such a refreshing summer that is perfect for a cookout. I love the addition of feta as I use it in all my salads.
Such a perfect side dish for a summer BBQ! I am loving all of those veggies in this. :)
The grilling of the vegetables completely takes this pasta salad to a whole new level!!! I refuse to make pasta salad any other way now!