Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad
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This Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad is the perfect side dish for all of your BBQ’s. Easy to prepare and packed with flavor!
Summer pasta salads filled with fresh veggies, cheese, and delicious dressings are a staple at all of our bbq’s and family gatherings. Grilling fresh vegetables adds depth of flavor to traditional pasta salad, and the sweet and tangy balsamic dressing makes it absolutely delicious!
The caramelization of the vegetables on the grill combined with mozzarella, fresh basil, parsley, and the sweet and tangy dressing make for a pasta salad the whole family will be requesting all summer long!
Tyler’s Tips for the Best Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad
- Make sure the grill has been properly preheated and coated in the appropriate cooking oil to prevent sticking! Whether using a gas, electric, charcoal, or pellet grill, it’s important to preheat the grill and season the grates to create that nonstick coating and help create those beautiful grill marks!
- Cook the pasta al dente, usually about 3 minutes less than the recommended cook time depending on the pasta being used. This will allow the pasta to continue to absorb the dressing and flavor, preventing mushy pasta.
Ingredients:
substitutions
Olive Oil: You could use avocado oil, but we really recommend extra virgin olive oil.
Vegetables: We love the combination of mushrooms, peppers, squash and red onion but here are some options for other veggies that can be grilled: asparagus, eggplant, yellow onions, corn, broccoli, and even fennel!
Pasta: Fusilli is our favorite shape for pasta salad but you can also try penne, rigatoni, and bowties. Whole wheat pasta, and gluten-free pasta can work as well.
Cheese: Fresh mozzarella pearls or cubed fresh mozzarella is the best option for this recipe but you could also use fontina cheese, feta cheese, and cheddar! Just cube them into small pieces and sub 1:1 with the mozzarella.
Fresh Herbs: Fresh basil and parsley are the best herbs for this salad, but you can also try fresh oregano, thyme, rosemary, and tarragon. Dried basil and parsley can be good options as well, but I would use 1/2 a teaspoon of dried spices.
For The Dressing: Making a quick homemade salad dressing is super easy but store bought balsamic salad dressing can work great too. Other dressings with red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar will work. Most Italian dressings will be great for this recipe! Here are some dressing recipes that would pair well with this: Italian Dressing, Creamy Balsamic Dressing, Basil Vinaigrette.
How to Make Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad
- Whisk together dressing ingredients until evenly incorporated and combined. Cook pasta until just under al dente.
- Grill veggies on an oiled grill over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, then flip and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes.
- Once cooked through, set aside and let them cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes, then cut into cubes. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta, grilled vegetables, mozzarella balls, fresh herbs, and dressing.
- Toss thoroughly until the salad dressing has evenly combined with the rest of the ingredients.
Pro Tip:
The zucchini, squash, and red peppers may cook a little quicker than the onions and mushrooms. Don’t hesitate to move them to a cold spot on the grill or pull them from the heat if they begin to get tender and caramelized.
Using real balsamic vinegar that is not diluted with fillers is crucial to a great dressing. You want to look for a specific label on the bottle that says DOP or PGI. These are specific designations that validate the authenticity of the balsamic vinegar and are some of the highest quality you can find.
What to Serve with this Recipe:
Some of our favorite options to serve alongside this veggie pasta salad are: Grilled Chicken Teriyaki, Pineapple Grilled Chicken, and Balsamic Grilled Chicken.
It’s also great alongside our BBQ Grilled Vegetables or Vegetable Kebabs.
storage
Storing: We recommend storing this grilled veggie pasta salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Preparing ahead: You can prep this pasta salad ahead of time if you’d like. Pre-grill and chop all the veggies and store in an airtight container. We recommend
Freezing: We don’t recommend freezing this veggie pasta salad as the pasta will get very soggy once thawed.
other healthy salad recipes:
Here are some of our favorite other salad recipes
Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad
Ingredients
For the Vegetables:
- 12 ounces portabella mushrooms 4 large mushroom caps
- 12 ounces halved red bell peppers 2 medium peppers
- 12 ounces halved yellow squash 2 small squash
- 12 ounces halved zucchini 2 small zucchini
- 6 ounces halved red onion 1 large onion
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Pasta Salad:
- ½ pound fusilli pasta
- 8 ounces baby mozzarella pearls 1 ½ cups
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Dressing:
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to medium heat, about 350 degrees F.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil for the pasta. We recommend adding a teaspoon of salt to the water for flavoring the pasta.
- Lay the vegetables on a large baking sheet. Spray or drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle the vegetables with salt and pepper. Make sure they are evenly coated.
- Generously coat the grill grates with olive oil cooking spray to prevent sticking.
- Using a pair of tongs, take the vegetables and lay them onto the greased grill grates. Cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, then flip and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes.
- While the vegetables cook, boil the pasta according to the package directions. We recommend cooking it al dente because the pasta will continue to absorb the dressing in the bowl and you’ll want the pasta to hold its shape once assembled. We cooked the pasta for about 3 minutes less than the recommended cook time. You can rinse the pasta with cold water once you have drained it to cool it down and stop it from cooking.
- Once the vegetables are cooked through, set aside and let them cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.
- While the vegetables cool and the pasta cooks, assemble the dressing. Combine the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, mustard, black pepper oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and red pepper in a measuring cup. Whisk together until evenly incorporated and combined.
- Once the grilled vegetables have cooled, cut them into ½ inch cubes and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta, grilled vegetables, mozzarella balls, fresh herbs, and dressing. Mix thoroughly until the salad dressing has evenly combined with the rest of the ingredients.
This is a really great pasta salad recipe. We used a similar whole wheat pasta and the flavors together turned out great!