This Mediterranean Roasted Vegetable Pasta will please the whole family. With sweet roasted bell peppers, onion, and zucchini this pasta dish is healthy comfort food!
The veggies are drizzled with olive oil, then placed in the oven to bake, making them sweeter and more intense. Everything is added to pasta with a simple sauce, for a dinner that is packed with flavor and so easy to make!
Serve it on its own as an easy vegetarian dinner, or as a side for grilled chicken, shrimp or steak!
Roasted Vegetables
When veg is roasted it becomes sweeter and more intense. So this Mediterranean Roasted Vegetable Pasta is bright and beautiful and packed with flavor. This makes it great for the whole family as the bright colors and sweeter flavor encourage children to try the vegetables.
You can roast any vegetable! In fact, I am convinced that roasting vegetables is the best way to eat them!!! So much so that I have a collection of roasted vegetable dishes here on Sprinkles and Sprouts!
I think my favorites have to be Garlic Roasted Mushrooms and Roasted Fennel oh and my Roast Carrot Salad with Mozzarella and Red Onion (THE BEST!).
How to Roast Vegetables
To roast the veg all you need is some olive oil, salt, and pepper.
The veg is chopped into chunks and then drizzled with olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper and roasted in a hot oven (425ºF/220ºC) for 30 minutes.
You want to use a high temperature so the vegetables start to caramelize on the outside. If the oven temperature is too low, the vegetables will sweat rather than roast and you risk them being overcooked and soggy rather than roasted.
What pan to use for roasted vegetables
A large heavy roasting pan or baking pan is perfect for roasting your veggies in, but you could also use a shallow casserole dish too. Roasting veg creates some wonderful caramelized flavors and colors, so to make washing up easier I like to line my roasting pan with foil or cooking paper. Just be sure it comes up over the edge so the oil doesn't leak underneath it.
Which oil to use for roasted vegetables
You want to use a nice olive oil for roasting veg. It will stop the vegetables drying out and also add flavor to the end result.
You could use a flavored oil as well, something like garlic, chili or basil oil would also be lovely here.
Which veg to use for this Mediterranean Pasta?
For the true Mediterranean vibe, I like to use zucchini, bell peppers (red and yellow), and onion (either white/brown or red).
But the choice of veg is totally up to you, some eggplant would be great here (although I find the color puts the kids off), fennel adds a wonderful flavor or try adding some cherry tomatoes towards the end of the roasting time.
A little less Mediterranean but still delicious would be some green beans or some asparagus. Both add great nutrition, but they do lose their bright color when roasted.
Whichever veg you use, make sure you cut it all into similar sizes, this will ensure that it cooks evenly.
Why does the recipe say to reserve the pasta cooking water?
This is a clever trick that helps to create a pasta sauce without needing to add extra oil or cream.
The water you have cooked the pasta in is well seasoned and also as the pasta cooks some of the starch is released into the water. This starch is valuable for making a delicious easy pasta sauce.
You'll find that most of the pasta dishes here on Sprinkles and Sprouts mention reserving pasta cooking water. And there are a lot of pasta recipes! You can see them all here in my Pasta collection!
Serving Suggestion:
Appetizer: This Mediterranean Roasted Vegetable Pasta is already packed with veg! So we would suggest skipping the side and instead, serve an appetizer whilst the veg is roasting. A platter of sliced meats would be perfect. Or a simple Caprese salad (try this Fig Caprese one for a twist on the classic!)
Alternatively: Serve this Roasted Veg Pasta as a side dish with your seared steak or grilled chicken.
Wine: The rich roasted flavors of this Mediterranean pasta work well with both red and white wine. When looking at white wines, pick a light dry white like a Pinot Grigio or an Albarino.
For red wines, you want to pick a light red, something like a Gamey or a Pinotage. Both of these will work with the sweetness of the roasted veg.
Enjoy x
For more wonderful pasta recipes why not try these:
- Garlic Butter Pasta with Garlic Chicken
- Shrimp Chorizo Pasta
- Pasta with Chicken Broth and Butter
- Creamy Rosemary Chicken Pasta
- Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Pasta (vegetarian)
- Pasta with Roasted Fennel (vegetarian)
- Creamy Pepper Steak Pasta
- Pork Stroganoff with Buttered Noodles
- Black Truffle Pasta (vegetarian)
- See ALL 40+ Pasta Recipes
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Mediterranean Roasted Vegetable Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 oz penne pasta (see note 1)
For the vegetables
- 1 zucchini
- 1 large red onion
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
For the sauce
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup parmesan - grated
- 1 garlic clove - minced
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
To serve
- additional parmesan
- Fresh oregano - for garnish
Instructions
Roasting the vegetables
- Pre-heat the oven to 230ºC/450°F.
- Cut the zucchini in half lengthways and then cut into ¼ inch slices.
- Cut the bell peppers into ½ inch pieces.
- Peel the onion and then cut into thick wedges.
- Pour the olive oil, salt, and pepper into a large roasting tin.
- Add in all the chopped veg and stir well until everything is well coated.
- Roasted for 30 minutes until slightly charred and tender.
Prepare the sauce
- Combine the olive oil, grated parmesan, minced garlic, Italian herbs, salt and pepper in a jar or measuring cup. Stir well and set to one side.
Cooking the Pasta
- Whilst the veg is roasting bring a large pan of water to the boil.
- Salt it well and add the pasta.
- Cook as per the packet until al-dente.
To finish the dish
- Reserve a cup of the pasta cooking water and drain the pasta, then return it to the pan.
- Add ¼ cup of the pasta cooking water to the sauce and stir/shake to combine.
- Remove the veg from the oven and empty the veg and any oil over the drained pasta.
- Pour over the sauce and stir everything until well combined. You can add more cooking water if
- Serve sprinkled with some fresh oregano and more parmesan if desired.
Notes
- Instead of Penne Pasta you can use:
- Rigatoni
- Rotini
- Gemelli
- Ziti
Kathy says
This recipe was delicious! I loved the delicious flavor of the roasted vegetables and sauce. I added some roasted cherry tomatoes and a can of quartered artichoke hearts and topped it off with grilled chicken for some protein. I will definitely make this dish again. Perfect for hot summer days. Thanks for the recipe!
Claire McEwen says
Artichoke hearts sound like such a fabulous addition. Can't wait to try that next time I make this!
Thank you for taking the time to come back and comment 🙂
Cx
Fiona says
Sounds great! What about using garlic instead of onion? I think it would still be Mediterranean
Claire McEwen says
Hi Fiona, you could definitely leave out the garlic and use onion 🙂
Cx
Elowen says
Loved this! Very comforting and easy. I used mini pasta stars instead of penne, roasted a couple of skin on garlic cloves instead of onion, and added a squeeze of lemon at the end and it was gorgeous.
Millie says
Absolutely delicious! Second time making this dish. Very tasty…everyone loves it. Thanks for sharing this recipe 😀
Claire McEwen says
Oh I am so pleased you enjoyed it 🙂
Cx
Jen B. says
I made this tonight for dinner for my husband and I. And we both loved it. The recipe was very easy to follow and it came together quickly. Since I didn’t have any fresh oregano we used dried. But other than that I followed the recipe. As other people mentioned earlier my husband asked me to put some cherry tomatoes in it. Thanks for sharing!
Claire McEwen says
So pleased you enjoyed it Jen 🙂
It is a recipe that makes it onto our meal plan at least once a month!
Cx
NMNS says
We made this last night and really enjoyed it! We don't like zucchini so we replaced it with carrots and broccoli and it was delicious. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Kim Pullen says
Super simple! Super delish! I added fresh mushrooms and roasted with the veggies. Will definitely cook over and over in the future.
Thanks for sharing!
Kim
Tracy says
I made this today to take for lunches this week. I used whole grain pasta and added baby bellas and halved grape tomatoes. Everything was so flavorful! My daughter had to steal a bowl.
Kayla B says
Just made this and literally stopped eating to give it 5 stars. One of my fav meals now!
Claire McEwen says
This makes me smile so much 🙂
So happy you enjoyed it so much!
Cx
Michelle Scazzero says
His looks delicious! Can it be prepared in advance and served cold?
Claire McEwen says
You could definitely serve this cold. You might find you need a little extra oil to keep the cold pasta moist.
I would also cook the pasta for an extra minute, cold pasta firms up so cooking it for a little longer means you will still have tender pasta when served cold.
I hope that helps.
Cx
Melissa D says
I made this last night. The sauce was easy and flavorful - just what I was looking for! Added some cubed eggplant with the rest of the veggies and then some halved grape tomatoes after about 20 minutes into the roasting time. I’m sure this will become a frequent regular on our menu - thanks!
Nancy says
Like restaurant pasta! I added a small eggplant. I also added some grape tomatoes during the last 15 minutes. We grilled chicken breast and cut it up and tossed it in, too! Magnificent with gluten free pasta. I used Ancient Harvest Organic Gluten Free pasta. Thank you so much for the recipe!
SUET says
Some artichoke hearts at it would be very Mediterranean. This is a delicious recipe!
Claire McEwen says
Oh that would be a fabulous addition!!! This recipe is on regular rotation in my house (sometimes with some chicken or salami) but I am loving the idea of artichokes to keep it veggie and add an extra flavor! Thanks for the suggestion 🙂
Cx
Ellena Moore says
Delish! I omitted the pasta water, followed everything else.
Claire McEwen says
I am so pleased you enjoyed it Ellena.
Cx
Andrew says
This is a great tasting dish and so nutritious and quick!
Colette T says
Delicious!
Followed the recipe as written, no changes and it’s so very good.
Absolutely will make as a side dish for next company dinner.
So yummy.