PCOS Friendly Pasta Salad with Pesto and Roasted Vegetables

Total time55 min

Prep time20 min

Cook time25 min

4.9

(10)

PCOS Friendly Pasta Salad with Pesto and Roasted Vegetables

Colorful, satisfying, and genuinely good for you, this pasta salad is built around ingredients that work hard for hormonal balance — whole wheat pasta for steady blood sugar, anti-inflammatory olive oil, and a walnut-based pesto that skips the processed stuff entirely. Roasting the cherry tomatoes, zucchini, and red bell pepper at high heat coaxes out deep, caramelized flavor that no store-bought jar can replicate. The homemade pesto comes together in a food processor with fresh basil, raw walnuts, garlic, and lemon juice — walnuts are a smart swap here, bringing healthy fats and a slightly earthy richness. Peppery baby arugula folded in at the end adds a fresh bite and a bonus hit of leafy greens without wilting under the heat. A short rest before serving lets everything meld together so each forkful tastes like it was meant to be. This is the kind of meal that feels indulgent but is quietly doing a lot of good work — equally at home as a weeknight dinner or packed up for lunch the next day.

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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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