This vegan summer vegetable pasta salad is perfect as a side or all on it’s own! It can be eaten hot or cold, whatever you prefer. Sprinkle a little (vegan) cheese on top and your good to go!
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If you’re stuck in the routine of making the same type of pasta for dinner, then maybe it’s time to spice things up a little bit! This summer vegetable pasta salad is extremely simple and quick to whip up as a last minute lunch or dinner idea.
It has strong bold flavors of garlic, tomato, balsamic, and olive oil which are pretty traditional for delicious pasta. This pasta can also be served warm or cold in case the weather is too hot outside and you can’t be bothered to have a hot meal! It’s also perfect for meal prep if you have work or school during the week! For me, pasta is just a staple food in my home because it can be made so many different ways and doesn’t take very long to make. This recipe is one of my favorites so far, especially during summer time!
How to Make the Summer Vegetable Pasta
For this recipe you will need:
- Rigatoni pasta
- Zucchini
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Garlic (cloves or powder)
- Sun dried tomatoes in oil
- Artichoke hearts
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Olive Oil
- Fresh Parsley
- Sugar, Salt, Pepper, & Red Pepper Flakes
Start by cooking the pasta according to the package instructions. While pasta is cooking, chop the zucchini squash into quarter slices. In a medium sized pan, heat a little bit of olive oil and add the squash. Add the garlic cloves or powder along with it and cook until squash softens and browns. After it’s cooked, remove the squash from the pan and set aside.
Slice the cherry tomatoes into halves and add them into the pan with a splash of balsamic vinegar. Cook for about 1 min and add the sun dried tomatoes along with the sugar. Cook this down until the tomatoes start to soften and form a sauce.
Once the tomatoes are cooked, add some olive oil to the drained pasta along with the tomatoes, zucchini, & artichoke hearts. This is also when you add the salt and pepper to taste. Mix well until everything is evenly combined and uniform. You can serve this immediately or store in the fridge for later!
*Note: The pasta may dry out in the fridge but you can add a little bit of olive oil before reheating it!
Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad
Ingredients
Produce
- 18 Cherry Tomatoes
- 2 Zucchini Squash Medium
- 1/2 C. Artichoke Hearts Halves
- 1/3 C. Sun Dried Tomatoes in oil
- 1 Fresh Parsley small bunch
Pantry
- 200 g Rigatoni Pasta
- 2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Pepper
- 1 pinch Sugar
- 1 pinch Red Pepper Flakes
Instructions
- Cook rigatoni pasta according to package instructions
- While pasta is cooking, chop the zucchini squash into quarter chunks. Cook them in a pan with 2 tsp. of olive oil and add the garlic powder or cloves and cook until the squash brown and becomes tender. Once it's done, remove the squash from the pan and set aside.
- Chop the cherry tomatoes into halves and add them into the pan along with the balsamic vinegar. Mix well and cook for about 1 min, then add the sun dried tomatoes and sugar and mix again. Cook this until the cherry tomatoes soften and a sauce forms.
- Once the tomatoes are done cooking, add the sauce to the drained pasta along with the squash and the rest of the ingredients. Mix well until everything is combined and uniform.You can serve this immediately with fresh parsley on top or store in the fridge for later! Enjoy!
