Recipe: Roasted Italian Vegetable Pasta Salad

This pasta salad is hard to forget with its delicious mix of fresh herbs like basil and fennel, various veggies, garlic, shallots, whole wheat pasta and Parmesan cheese. Gardeners will especially find this recipe versatile as vegetables can be swapped or added to the zucchini, squash, tomatoes and red pepper slices.

Ingredients

1 pound cherry tomatoes, halved
1 medium zucchini, quartered and cut into ½-inch cubes
1 medium summer squash, quartered and cut into ½-inch cubes
1 shallot, minced
1 fennel bulb, cut into ½-inch slices and diced
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and cut into ¾-inch cubes
1 garlic clove, quartered, plus 1 clove, minced
1½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt, optional
Freshly ground pepper
8 ounces whole wheat rotini (spiral-shaped pasta)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup fresh basil, torn into large pieces

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
2. Place the tomatoes, zucchini, squash, shallot, fennel, bell pepper and quartered garlic clove in an ovenproof nonstick skillet.
3. Toss with the oil, salt (if using) and ground pepper.
4. Roast for 6 minutes; turn and continue to roast for another 6 minutes. Remove from the oven.
5. While the vegetables are roasting, cook the pasta, following package directions.
6. Drain the pasta, reserving 2 tablespoons of the cooking water, and return to the pot.
7. Toss the pasta, roasted vegetables with their juices, reserved pasta water, vinegar and minced garlic.
8. To serve, place the vegetable pasta salad on a serving plate and top with the cheese and basil.

Nutritional information

Makes 4 servings

330 calories (19 percent calories from fat)
7 g total fat (1 g saturated fat)
12 g protein
60 g carbohydrate
12 g dietary fiber
0 mg cholesterol
65 mg sodium
950 mg potassium

One of more than 150 heart-healthy recipes from the Cleveland Clinic Healthy Heart Lifestyle Guide and Cookbook, available from Broadway Books and wherever books are sold.