Grilled Vegetables and Goat Cheese Pasta Salad
Loaded with tons grilled vegetables such as eggplant, zucchini and roasted roasted bell peppers, topped with a generous amount of creamy goat cheese, this Grilled Vegetables and Goat Cheese Pasta Salad will be the star of your summer meals!
Sometimes, it’s what’s left in the fridge that dictates the direction that supper is going to take. This is pretty much what happened the day I initially created this recipe… I did it based on what little food I had left in the fridge that day, and needed to use up, too!
This was definitely a case when being forced to use certain ingredients turned out to be a beautiful thing! It gave life to an incredibly delightful creation, one that’s become a big favorite of mine and that I might never have come up with had it not been for the fact that I had to use those particular veggies that day.
The flavor profile of this salad is mild and subtle, slightly smokey and tangy, delicate and fresh, with a hint of peppery sunshine; the textures, for their part, are fairly uniform, but pleasantly soft and creamy in the mouth. The union of it all creates a dish that you just want to keep on eating…
To change things up, and to add a little bit of a crunch to each bite, I sometimes like to add a handful of walnuts or pumpkin seeds to the salad. Grilled mushrooms also make for a wonderful addition!
Also too, this salad is equally superb eaten warm or cold, so you can make it and eat it right away, or prepare it up to a day ahead of time.
Ultimately, you get to decide what you want to do, or what best suits your schedule!
To start, preheat your outdoor grill to medium-high heat and cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package. When cooked, drain and set aside.
While the pasta is cooking, slice the eggplant and zucchini crosswise into 1″ thick slices, then cut the bell pepper in half, remove the seeds and stalk and smash it with the palm of your hand to make it as flat as possible.
Brush the vegetables on both sides with a little bit of olive oil then sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
Place the vegetables directly on the grill and grill them until they get nice grill marks on them, about 4-5 minutes per side.
Remove the grilled veggies to a plate and let them rest for a few minutes, until you can safely handle them, then cut them into manageable bite size pieces.
Next, combine the cooked pasta, grilled veggies, olive oil, lemon juice, fresh basil, garlic, salt and pepper and toss gently until well combined; adjust seasoning as needed.
Transfer to serving plate and sprinkle crumbled goat cheese and more fresh basil, if desired.
Serve immediately, or refrigerate until ready to eat, as this salad is equally good eaten warm or cold…
Grilled Vegetables and Goat Cheese Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 10 oz whole wheat rotini, (or other short pasta of your choice)
- 1 large eggplant
- 1 large zucchini
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
---
- 3 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped (plus more to garnish)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
---
- 3 oz soft unripened goat cheese, crumbled
- chopped basil leaves
Instructions
- Preheat your outdoor grill to medium-high heat and cook the pasta per instructions on the package. When cooked, drain and set aside.
- Meanwile, slice the eggplant and zucchini crosswise into 1″ thick slices, then cut the bell pepper in half, remove the seeds and stalk and smash it with the palm of your hand to make it as flat as possible.
- Brush the vegetables on both sides with a little bit of olive oil then sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
- Place the vegetables directly on the grill and grill them until they get nice grill marks on them, about 4-5 minutes per side
- Remove the vegetables and let them rest for a few minutes, until you can safely handle them, then cut them into manageable bite size pieces.
- Combine the cooked pasta, grilled veggies, olive oil, lemon juice, fresh basil, garlic, salt and pepper and toss gently until well combined; adjust seasoning as needed.
- Transfer to serving plate and sprinkle crumbled goat cheese and more fresh basil, if desired.
- Serve warm or cold; you can serve your salad immediately or refrigerate it until ready to eat, up to 24 hours.
Nutrition
If you’ve tried this recipe, please take a minute to rate the recipe and let me know how things went for you in the comments below. It’s always such a pleasure to hear from you!
You can also FOLLOW ME on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and TWITTER for more delicious, healthy recipes!
12 Comments on “Grilled Vegetables and Goat Cheese Pasta Salad”
Another great recipe!!!Sounds delicious, as usual! 🙂 Going to try that 🙂
I want this for dinner right now…and I already had dinner. 😉
Haha! Thanks Charissa! 😀
Hi,
I have made similar salads; adding brewer’s yeast will give you more protein (8g/2TBS) and a great “cheesy” flavor. Try it!
Brewer’s yeast! I sort of remember reading about this, once. Thanks for reminding me, I will definitely look into it. Anything that tastes “cheesy” tastes good to me! Well, in a good way cheesy, that is! 😉
The addition of eggplants, zucchini and bell peppers has given the dish a different look altogether!
Your grilled veggie pasta looks wonderful……I will be linking to it in tomorrows post.
SUPER! Thanks a bunch! 😀
It’s nutritional yeast that gives a cheesy flavor, which is much different than brewer’s yeast. You can find it in a natural foods grocery store.
You are so right, Karen… I’ve since started using nutritional yeast and I absolutely love it! Brewer’s yeast has a whole different purpose, and trust me, you DON’T want that one to taste cheesy! 😉