Description
This Summer Pasta Salad highlights the best of summer veggies- grilled zucchini, corn, bell pepper, and cherry tomatoes tossed in a flavorful cilantro pesto. Vegan and Gluten-free. Video.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 6 ounces rice noodles (or sub pasta of any shape- linguini, penne, farfalle, rotini, etc, cooked to package directions)
- 2 medium zucchini, cut in half lengthwise
- 1 red bell pepper, cut in half, seeded
- 1/2 a red onion, cut into 1/2 inch wedges
- 1–2 ears of fresh corn ( or use frozen, roasted corn ), shucked
- olive oil, salt and black pepper for veggies
- Garnish with cherry tomatoes, lime wedges, pepitas, cilantro leaves, or optional cotija cheese.
Cilantro Pesto:
- 1 large bunch cilantro (thin stems ok), or sub basil.
- 2 fat garlic cloves
- 1–2 tablespoons chopped jalapeno (optional)
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil – make sure it is not overly bitter
- 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds (raw)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional- only if you like the smoky flavor)
- 1 tablespoon lime zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Instructions
- Cook the noodles. Pour boiling water over the rice noodles, ( I put them in a baking dish) let stand for 3 minutes until al dente, then drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside. If using pasta, cook to al dente.
- Make the Cilantro Pesto. Place the cilantro, garlic and jalapeño in food processor and pulse repeatedly until finely chopped. Add the olive oil, pumpkin seeds, coriander, smoked paprika, salt and pepper and pulse until combined but not too smooth. You should have a fairly loose (runny) pesto -perfect for tossing the salad. Taste, adjust lime to taste. If bitter, add a little sugar. You can do this ahead and refrigerate.
- Preheat the Grill to medium-high.
- Prep the veggies – brush or spray with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the veggies on the grill, lower heat to medium, cover, checking the veggies every few minutes or so….turning to char. Once the veggies are done, cut into bite-sized cubes.
- Assemble. Give the pasta a final cool water rinse, loosening it up. Drain and place in a bowl. Add the Cilantro Pesto and the veggies and an additional ½ teaspoon salt, and possibly more to taste. Adjust lime, salt and heat according to your taste preference. I’ll sometimes add a pinch of chipotle pepper, or chili flakes, or even more finely chopped jalapeño to bump up the heat.
- Serve: Place on a serving platter or in a bowl, top with halved cherry tomatoes, sprinkle with more pepitas and cilantro leaves and serve with lime wedges. Sprinkle with cotija if you like!
Notes
To make it a meal, top it with grilled halloumi cheese, grilled tofu, shrimp, or grilled chicken.
Oven Version: To roast the veggies instead of using a grill, cut zucchini, bell pepper and onion into bite-sized pieces, toss with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread out on a sheet pan and roast in a 400F oven for 20-ish minutes, stirring halfway through. You can roast fresh corn as well, cut it off the cob, and add it to the mix.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 318
- Sugar: 4.1 g
- Sodium: 202.6 mg
- Fat: 23 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 26.8 g
- Fiber: 2.4 g
- Protein: 3.6 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
