Are you in need of a totally unique pasta salad recipe that most definitely won’t be the same as anyone else’s when you bring it along to a barbecue? Well, I’ve got you covered with this one!
It starts with a sheet pan full of whatever roasted summer veggies you wish to include (for me, it’s shallots, corn, asparagus and peppers). We then blend together a luscious pistachio vinaigrette dressing (remember the one from my burrata salad? same!) and toss it all together with some bow tie pasta, fresh juicy tomatoes and cheese. This combo is super tasty and robust enough to allow for some variation – so go ahead and make it your own!
It’s a perfect barbecue side dish, but also a nice light dinner when you want to clear some veggies out of the fridge but a leaf based salad just isn’t going to cut it.
Ingredient Tips & Variations
- I use pecorino cheese for this recipe, but there are many many ways you can go with the cheese element. Crumbled feta, manchego, hard goat cheese, something smoked? You just want something strong and flavorful.
- Feel free to try a different shape of pasta. I really like farfalle, but it’s not a deal breaker.
- Your plan is to fill one sheet pan with whatever veggies you wish. I personally find the combo of corn, shallot, asparagus and mini peppers to be absolute summer perfection but feel free to play around with which veggies you use and the ratios of them. No stress here!
- I keep the cherry tomatoes cold and not roasted, because I like to have something kind of fresh and juicy in the mix. You could halve and roast them (on a second sheet pan) if you prefer, or use some chopped sundried tomatoes if you don’t have any fresh.
- The pistachio vinaigrette is EPIC, but I am aware that pistachios aren’t budget friendly and won’t be in everyone’s pantry. Feel free to swap in my Simple Creamy Pesto Salad Dressing (which just uses a little bit of jarred pesto) which would work really well as an alternative (if you do this, make sure everything is cold before you add the dressing, because it has mayo in it and isn’t so great when it’s heated).
- Other worthwhile additions would be: avocado, olives, chopped spinach or arugula (rocket), a can of chickpeas. If you’re including anything really substantial such as chickpeas, just reduce the amount of pasta down a little or the dressing will be spread too thin.
Scaling the Recipe
If you are feeding a big crowd, go ahead and double this recipe. Make two sheet pans worth of veggies and double everything else.
One awkward thing that will happen when doubling this recipe is that the pasta quantity will end up at 600 grams or 21 ounces which is just over the amount of one typical bag of pasta. So you might want to just use one whole bag of pasta (500 grams or 18 ounces) and add a can of chickpeas to give it some extra bulk.
More Summer Side Dish Ideas (That Travel Well!)
If you need more healthy barbecue dishes, these recipes would perfectly complement this pasta salad. They also bring big flavor with healthy ingredients, can be made ahead, and travel well.
Summer Veggie Bow Tie Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 10.5 oz (300 g) dried farfalle pasta
- 1 ear corn on the cob, husks removed and halved. Or use 2-3 cobettes
- 5-6 mini peppers, sliced
- 1-2 shallots, sliced
- 1 bunch asparagus, chopped into small pieces
- 7 oz cherry tomatoes, quartered
- ½ cup pecorino or another Italian hard cheese, grated
- ½ bunch fresh basil leaves, chopped
- olive oil, for roasting
Pistachio Dressing
- 4 tbsp pistachios, plus more for topping if you wish
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ clove garlic
- 1.5 tsp honey
- ½ bunch fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425F / 220 C / 200C Fan.While the oven heats, arrange the veggies on the baking tray. Cut your corn on the cob into 2-3 smaller pieces and add to the tray. Drizzle oil, salt and pepper over the top and give it all a mix to coat evenly. Place in the oven for 15 minutes.1 ear corn on the cob, 5-6 mini peppers, 1-2 shallots, 1 bunch asparagus, olive oil
- Meanwhile, prepare your dressing. Heat the pistachios in a dry pan for a couple of minutes until toasted, then blend all of the ingredients in a mini blender or food processor until completely smooth.4 tbsp pistachios, 4 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp red wine vinegar, ½ tsp salt, ½ clove garlic, 1.5 tsp honey, 1/2 bunch fresh basil leaves
- Just before the oven timer is up, start your pasta cooking according to package instructions. If you run out of time, don't worry, just come back to it after checking on the veggies.10.5 oz dried farfalle pasta
- Check in on your veggies. We want them to be nicely browning at the edges, soft and reduced in size. Give them another 5-10 minutes if necessary.
- Once the veggies are done, remove them from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Scrape the corn pieces off the cob with a knife, and add all of the ingredients into your salad bowl. Set aside until the pasta is ready.
- Once the pasta is cooked, drain it in a colander and run cold water over it until it is room temperature or colder*. Add it to the bowl with the veggies alongside the dressing and mix through. If you are serving this immediately and want to eat it warm, you don't need to rinse it.
- Add the cherry tomatoes, chopped basil leaves, and cheese; mix through. Add salt and pepper to taste.7 oz cherry tomatoes, 1/2 bunch fresh basil leaves, 1/2 cup pecorino or another Italian hard cheese
- If you're adding extra chopped pistachios, scatter them over the top. Serve immediately, or store in a container in the fridge until you're ready.
