Shellfish Free Pasta Salad with Pesto and Roasted Vegetables

Total time55 min

Prep time20 min

Cook time25 min

4.9

(10)

Shellfish Free Pasta Salad with Pesto and Roasted Vegetables

This vibrant pasta salad is the kind of dish that makes you want to eat with your eyes first — blistered cherry tomatoes, charred zucchini, and sweet roasted red pepper all tangled up with whole wheat pasta and a bright, herbaceous pesto. The homemade walnut-basil pesto comes together in a food processor in under a minute and delivers way more flavor than anything from a jar. A handful of peppery arugula folded in at the end keeps things fresh and adds a little bite that balances the richness of the olive oil beautifully. Because every single ingredient here is straightforward and plant-based, there's zero guesswork about hidden seafood derivatives or cross-contact from shared processing lines — something that can be genuinely tricky with store-bought pestos and prepared pasta salads. The lemon juice in the pesto keeps the whole bowl tasting lively even after it sits, making this a great make-ahead option for lunches, potlucks, or weeknight dinners. Let it rest for ten minutes before serving and the flavors really bloom together into something that tastes like it took far more effort than it did.

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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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