"Summer time and the living's easy!" It is Friday and I have the day off so I am feeling pretty good today:) We don't have huge weekend plans, but I am still excited it is here!
Fresh, local produce is one of my favorite things about summer. We don't have a garden this year, well we have tomato plants and herbs, but never got around to planting anything else. The sprinkler system project took over. We love going to the farmer's market and supporting our local farmers though!
I made this grilled vegetable pasta salad with some of our favorite summer veggies. Josh grilled zucchini, eggplant, red peppers, and yellow squash. I made a simple balsamic dressing, chopped some tomatoes, fresh basil, and added everything to some pasta. I finished it off with feta cheese.
Pasta salads are perfect for the summer. I like to make a big bowl so we can have leftovers for our lunches. They are also good for bbq's, picnics, and pool parties. Have a great weekend everyone!
Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad
(Printable Recipe)
Grill the following vegetables, I brush them with a little olive oil and balsamic:
Grill the following vegetables, I brush them with a little olive oil and balsamic:
Zucchini
Eggplant
Red pepper
Yellow Squash
Chop up tomatoes and fresh basil.
Cook your favorite pasta and run cold water over it, this is a cold pasta salad.
Make a balsamic dressing or use store bought.
I used balsamic vinegar, a little olive oil, garlic, shallots, Dijon mustard, chopped basil, salt, and pepper. Whisk everything together to your taste. Sorry I didn't measure.
In a big bowl add the pasta, veggies, and basil. Stir. Pour dressing over pasta and veggies. Stir and add more until the pasta is well coated. Add in feta cheese. Serve cold. Will keep for a couple of days.
Yum, this looks like a great summer meal! If only my hubby would eat those kinda of veggies. :-( Oh well, maybe I'll make it just for me.
ReplyDeleteahhhh simple summer recipes are always best! Love all those grilled veggies- horray for fresh local good stuff!
ReplyDeleteGrilling fresh seasonal vegetables is just the best
ReplyDeleteYummy pasta salad. I love grilling fresh veggies.
ReplyDeleteThat looks delicious! I'm thinking about grilling some zucchini tonight. :-)
ReplyDeleteDelicious summer pasta!
ReplyDeleteI make something kind of the same but I use orzo pasta. Delicious!
ReplyDeleteone of my fav summer dishes :)
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing better than roasted veggies. This salad looks wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI am in love with this... it looks so fantastic!
ReplyDeleteThis looks great! I love grilled veggies in the summer too!
ReplyDeleteyes indeedly, this is a great summer dish! your simple dressing sounds perfect for the lovely veggies!
ReplyDeleteI think thats my favorite part of summer too- the abundance of fresh local produce!!
ReplyDeleteGreat salad!!
Enjoy your day off!
Have fun on your day off!
ReplyDeleteI love grilled veggies! It is one of my favorite summer perks!
ReplyDeleteFabulous salad! Enjoy your day off!
ReplyDeleteOne of the best things about summer is all the veggies. Do you use this combo on your grilled pizza too?
ReplyDeleteFoodie w/Little Thyme-We always use different toppings on our pizza, but I do love these! The more veggies the better!
ReplyDeleteThis looks so healthy and colourful, really delicious!
ReplyDeleteMy kind of meal/salad! I wish my husband thought this was enough. He'd have to have some chicken or something in there. Looks fab.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely pasta salad, I love all the fresh summer veggies in it!
ReplyDeleteOh, that looks really good.
ReplyDeletePerfect proof that simple, healthy food can be delicious. This looks so great! There is nothing like grilled veggies, it brings out such flavor. Thanks for sharing your balsamic dressing as well. I'm going to give that one a try.
ReplyDeleteLooks yummy! That would be great for all of the veggies I have growing in my garden!
ReplyDeleteMy dad would always sing that when summer came around - he'd clown around, making his voice really really deep :) I absolutely love this combo, which is sad because a) I have no grill, b) I have no garden, and c) I just ran out of feta. Maybe I'll tackle those problems one at a time.
ReplyDeletei am glad to to be reading your posts again after more than a month of absence... :)
ReplyDeleteI love grilling vegetables and tossing them with anything....they give so much flavor and color to dishes like this!
ReplyDeleteYUM! This looks great. I love summer for this reason. Great veggies and fruit! ! !
ReplyDeleteThis is a perfect summer salad. I do one similar to this. Thanks for reminding me that I need to make it pronto!
ReplyDeleteYummy Pasta salad I love summer grilling looks amazing...
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your recipe:)
Have a great weekend...
I love summer cus the food avalible is so fresh and good for you! Great looking veges!
ReplyDeleteYum, my favourite kind of summer salad! Perfect for a warm evening meal.
ReplyDeleteI love pasta salads and this one looks really tasty!
ReplyDeleteGrilled veggies are so summer! I love 'em!
ReplyDeleteSo colorful and pretty! Fresh produce is definitely one of the highlights of summer!
ReplyDeleteGreat minds, Maria! I made the kids a pasta salad yesterday. I added cucumber, feta, chopped kalamata olives, and pepperoncinis. All tossed in salt, pepper, olive oiland red wine vinegar. Yours looks excellent with the roasted veggies. Wish my grill was working.
ReplyDelete~ingrid
Now I'm going to have to hit up the farmer's market on Tuesday. This looks like a keeper!
ReplyDeleteYes, this is exactly the sort of thing I eat during the summer. Looks great!
ReplyDeleteSounds like an awesome summer salad. You sure are getting a lot of use from your new grill.
ReplyDeleteI never measure my dressings either. I just pour and eyeball it and adjust. Works so much better and less stressful.
ReplyDeleteHappy to see you guys are getting great use out of the grill!!!
Thanks for the great post Maria! I have linked to your basil recipe in my basil post today :)
ReplyDeletehttp://oldtips.blogspot.com/2009/08/friday-recipes-basil.html