Low Sugar Pasta Salad with Pesto and Roasted Vegetables
This vibrant pasta salad is the kind of dish that makes you forget you're eating something genuinely wholesome. Caramelized cherry tomatoes, tender zucchini, and sweet roasted red pepper bring deep, naturally developed flavor without a single drop of added sweetener anywhere in the recipe. The homemade walnut-basil pesto is the real star — blended with fresh lemon juice and good olive oil, it coats every piece of whole wheat pasta in something bright and herbaceous that store-bought versions simply can't match. Peppery baby arugula and briny Kalamata olives round out the bowl with layers of flavor that feel indulgent but come entirely from real, whole ingredients. So many packaged pestos and bottled dressings sneak in sugar, which makes tossing your own together in the food processor a genuinely smart move. This salad is equally at home as a make-ahead lunch or a crowd-pleasing side at a summer gathering, and it only gets better as it rests and the flavors meld together.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the pasta
- 8 oz whole wheat rotini or penne
- 1 tsp salt
For the roasted vegetables
- 1 pint (10 oz) cherry tomatoes
- 1 medium zucchini, cut into ½-inch half-moons
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
For the pesto
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
- ⅓ cup raw walnuts
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
For the salad
- 2 cups baby arugula
- ¼ cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved (optional)
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Arrange the cherry tomatoes, zucchini, and red bell pepper on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil, sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper, and toss to coat, spreading the vegetables in a single layer.
- 2
Roast the vegetables for 20–22 minutes, until the tomatoes have burst and the zucchini and pepper are tender with lightly charred edges. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.
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