Vegetarian Italian Pasta Salad
Perfectly roasted cauliflower, roasted red pepper, tons of fresh basil, mozzarella cheese all tossed together in a zippy Italian dressing. Vegetarian Italian Pasta Salad will be your new favorite pasta salad recipe!
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 263kcal
Ingredients
- 1 medium head of cauliflower cut into florets*
- 1 lb. rotini pasta brown rice or quinoa pasta for gluten free
- 2 roasted red peppers jarred is fine, sliced thin
- 1 can chickpeas rinsed
- 1 cup sliced scallions green and white part
- 1 cup mini mozzarella balls
- 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh basil plus whole leaves for garnish
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Dressing
- 3 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp each sea salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F
- Toss cauliflower florets with 1 tbsp olive oil, 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper. Spread out in layer on a roasting pan and roast in oven for 20 minutes, stirring once during cooking. Remove from oven and set aside.
- In the meantime boil pasta, in salted water, according to directions (ideally al dente)
- When pasta is cooked through and still warm toss with 2 tbsp olive oil and 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper
- Prepare dressing by whisking ingredients together
- Toss all ingredients with pasta, cover with dressing and stir well to combine.
- Allow to rest for 30-45 minutes before serving. Serve at room temperature or chilled
Notes
*I used purple cauliflower, white cauliflower, and romanesco for this recipe. The colorful cauliflower looks gorgeous in this dish. If you can find it use it :-)
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving (12 total servings as a side dish) | Calories: 263kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 194mg | Potassium: 147mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 115IU | Vitamin C: 8.7mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 0.8mg
