Name: Roast Pepper Pasta Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 6 (150 g or 4 oz) mini sweet peppers, halved and de-seeded; 6.5 oz (180 g) cherry tomatoes, whole; 2 medium shallots, sliced lengthwise; 3-4 garlic cloves; Kosher salt; Olive oil; 8 oz (225 g) dry fusillotti or any similar pasta; 1/2 cup (86 g) finely minced sun-dried tomatoes; 1/2 cup (18 g) packed basil leaves; 3 tbsp (30 g) lemon juice; 3 tbsp (32 g) olive oil (use oil from sun-dried tomatoes); 1 tbsp (11 g) honey; 1 tsp italian herbs; 1 tsp aleppo pepper; 1 tsp kosher salt (start with 1 tsp and adjust as needed)

The concept behind this roast pepper pasta salad is super simple: take a bunch of summer veggies, roast them until jammy (and slightly charred), combine with minced sun-dried tomatoes, pasta, and basil, and toss with a roasted garlic herb vinaigrette.

It’s the ultimate summer pasta salad that pairs well with almost anything.

As I said, the concept behind this pasta salad is to roast a bunch of summer veg. So along with the peppers and cherry tomatoes, feel free to throw in zucchini, eggplant, and any other veggies you have on hand (which is why I’ve nicknames this the “farmer’s market pasta salad”).

Ingredients

Fusillotti or any similar pasta: Love the Rummo Fusilloti for this specific salad – it holds the dressing so well.
Bell peppers: I typically get these at the farmers market – around August, there’s always an abundance of sweet peppers.
Cherry tomatoes
Shallots: Feel free to use red onion if you prefer.
Garlic
Sun-dried tomatoes: If you can, get sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil; they pack a lot more punch, and I like using the leftover oil in the dressing for this pasta salad.
Fresh basil
Extra virgin olive oil
Lemons
Honey: Cane sugar, maple, and agave all work well as substitutes.
Italian seasoning: As long as the seasoning you use has oregano, thyme, basil, rosemary, and marjoram; you’re golden!
Aleppo pepper: Red pepper flakes also work.
Kosher salt: Specifically, Diamond Crystal kosher salt. If you’re using Morton kosher salt, reduce the salt by half. Morton is much saltier and denser than Diamond Crystal kosher salt.

Method Behind This Roast Pepper Pasta Salad

Start by roasting the veggies – halve the peppers, slice the shallots, and toss onto a parchment lined tray along with the garlic and cherry tomatoes. Toss everything in olive oil and kosher salt, and roast at 450°F for 25-30 minutes or until the peppers are slightly charred. I typically pull the cherry tomatoes out early, around the 15-minute mark, as they char a lot faster than the other veggies. However, depending on how big the cherry tomatoes are they could need the full 25 minutes.

NOTE: Make sure to slice the tops off the garlic cloves so you can easily squeeze them out when it’s done roasting, and place the pepper halves face-side down to allow the skins to char when roasting. Additionally, when you pull the tomatoes out, spread around the peppers and shallots to give them more room to properly cook and not steam.

While the veggies roast, cook the pasta – I like to overcook the pasta slightly because pasta firms up when it’s cold. Drain and rinse the pasta and dump it into a bowl.

Once the veggies are done roasting, slice the peppers and shallots, mince the sun-dried tomatoes, and add them to the bowl of pasta along with the cherry tomatoes and basil.

Lastly, whisk all the vinaigrette ingredients together. I like to smush the garlic against the bowl so it incorporates better. Alternatively, you could blend the vinaigrette.

Toss the salad with the dressing, adjust for salt, and enjoy!

NOTE: I prefer this pasta salad warm, but it tastes equally good cold.

A Few Notes

You may need to pull the cherry tomatoes out halfway through roasting. Depending on how big they are, they might start to char before the peppers and shallots are done. And if you do pull the tomatoes out early, make sure to scoop up all of the juices as well; otherwise, that juice will burn and stick to your pan when you finish off the peppers and shallots.
Overcook the pasta! Pasta firms up (quite a bit) when it’s cold, so overcooking it will give you perfectly done pasta with just enough bite when it’s cold outta the fridge.
ADD FETA! Adding this note in all caps because it’s that important. I’m dairy-free, and unfortunately, the plant-based feta just doesn’t cut it for me, which is why I didn’t add it here. A 1/2 cup of crumbled feta will elevate the salad and make it even better.
Leave the basil leaves whole. Originally, when testing this recipe, I minced the basil, and it made the salad look messy.

So excited for you to make this pasta salad. Don’t forget to leave a starred review and rating – always love hearing your feedback.