(This is an old recipe that has been removed from the site, but I am keeping the printer-friendly recipe here so that anyone who might have been a fan of the recipe can still find it. Or check out Roasted Vegetable Salad with Chickpeas to find a similar salad.)

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 lb. asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 12 oz. brown Cremini mushrooms, cut into thick half inch slices
  • 1 large red bell pepper, cut into thick strips about 1 inch long
  • 2 T olive oil
  • salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste (for seasoning roasted vegetables)
  • 1/2 lb. whole wheat Orecchiette pasta (or use any smallish whole wheat pasta shape)
  • salt, for pasta cooking water
  • 1/2 cup thickly sliced green onion
  • 1/4 cup coarsely chopped parsley
  • 1/2 cup freshly ground Parmesan

DRESSING INGREDIENTS:

  • 6 T low-sugar Italian Dressing (see notes)
  • 1 tsp. Spike Seasoning (see notes)
  • 1/2 tsp. coarse ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 400F/200C.
  2. Break a piece of asparagus to see where the woody part starts, then trim all the asparagus to that size and cut into 1 inch pieces.
  3. Cut out stem and remove seeds from red bell pepper, and cut into strips about 1 inch long.
  4. Wash mushrooms if needed and cut into thick slices (or half-slices if the mushrooms are large.)
  5. Put the prepared vegetables into a bowl and toss with 2 T olive oil; season with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
  6. Spray or brush baking sheet with olive oil or nonstick spray and arrange vegetables in a single layer. (Next time I’d use 2 pans if the vegetables look crowded.)
  7. Roast vegetables 15-20 minutes, or until they’re starting to shrivel but not completely soft.
  8. While vegetables are roasting, fill a medium-sized pot with water, add about 1 tsp. of salt, and bring to a boil.
  9. Remove vegetables from the oven and cool on the baking sheet 4-5 minutes.
  10. While vegetables cool, whisk together the salad dressing, Spike Seasoning, and coarse ground pepper.
  11. Chop the parsley and slice the green onions.
  12. When the roasted vegetables are partly cooled, put them in a colander placed in the sink and let them drain until any excess liquid runs off. (Don’t skip this step or the salad will be watery.)
  13. After vegetables drain, put them back in the same bowl and toss with 3-4 T of the dressing mixture and let vegetables marinate.
  14. When pasta water is boiling, add the pasta, stir, and reduce heat to a low boil. Cook until the pasta is barely al dente (check package cooking time.)
  15. Drain pasta into a colander placed in the sink and rinse with COLD water, and then let drain well, stirring a few times so it won’t stick together.
  16. When the pasta is well-drained, add it to the marinated vegetables, mix in the rest of the dressing, chopped parsley, and sliced green onions, and gently stir to combine.
  17. Add the freshly-grated Parmesan, stir again, and serve salad slightly chilled or at room temperature.
  18. This was still quite good after it had been in the fridge overnight, although pasta salad like this is best freshly made.

NOTES

I used Newman’s Own Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing (affiliate link) but use any purchased Italian dressing that’s low in sugar. I’m a big fan of Spike Seasoning (affiliate link), but use any all-purpose seasoning blend you have on hand.

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