This is a a really quick and easy pasta dish that requires very little prep, but is no less delicious for it. I like to use my own pesto because it’s easier to make a vegan version at home than it is to find it in the store. If you want to make your own too, you can follow my recipe here. However, if you’re in a hurry or you just don’t want to deal with the extra cleanup, store-bought pesto will do the job just fine.

Maybe my favorite thing about this dish is that the leftovers make a delicious pasta salad for lunch later in the week. In fact, I think the leftovers are best served this way because the pesto doesn’t deal well with being reheated. The measurements below should serve three or four depending on how big you like your portions, but if you want to serve more people, just cook extra pasta (about 2 oz per person) and the veggies should stretch for up to six portions.

Be sure to read all the way to the end for tips on how to make this basic dish a bit more fancy if you have more time or want to spice it up for a dinner party.

Ingredients

1 medium zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and then into half inch slices
1 medium eggplant, cut into roughly one inch cubes
2 bell peppers (mixed colors best), deseeded and roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
4 tbsp pesto, plus extra for adding at the table if desired

Method

Turn the oven up to 420 F (standard oven, not convection)
Cut up all the vegetables as per the directions above and put them into a large mixing bowl with the oil, salt, vinegar and crushed garlic, mixing them well.
Empty the bowl onto a large, shallow lipped baking sheet, making sure that the veggies aren’t packed too tightly together, so that they will roast, rather than stewing in their own juices.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. The veggies should be starting to char and caramelize around the edges when you take them out. If not, give them a little stir and place them back in the oven for another 10 minutes.
While the veggies are in the oven, prepare 8 oz of pasta, preferably fusilli (the twisty one) according to the packet instructions.
Once the veggies and pasta are ready, mix them together in the saucepan that you used for the pasta along with the pesto and serve.

There are lots of options for embellishing this dish if you want to spice it up for any reason. Two of my favorite options are black olives and slices of fried Italian sausage (I use the Tofurkey spicy Italian sausages). Other options include extra Parmesan cheese for garnishing at the table, baby spinach stirred into the pasta just after it has been drained and chili flakes added to the vegetables before roasting. Sun dried tomatoes heated in a frying pan would also be a great supplement.

Enjoy!

Roasted Summer Vegetable Pasta With Pesto