Mediterranean Roasted Vegetable and Pearl Pasta Salad (2024)

February 20, 2014

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

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Do you ever wish you could be a mouse in someone else's house? You probably would have been a laughing mouse had you been there, peeping out of your little mouse hole (nibbling, on a few spheres of tender pearl pasta that had inadvertently rolled your way) and watching Scott and I as we sat down to enjoy this Mediterranean Roasted Vegetable and Pearl Pasta Salad. We'd just finished photographing it and were starving. Well, maybe it's better to say that I was starving. Scott said the blessing and I immediately began devouring. He was distracted by something on his computer (yes, we were having lunch on the couch).

I'm savoring each bite. "Oh, my Goodness!" "Wow!" He's still looking at the computer. "This is amazing!" "I love it!" His brow is wrinkled a bit as he's studying the screen. I'm trying to get his attention. "Honey, we're supposed to be eating. Try this, it's super amazing!" "I'm thinking this might be one of my favorite things EVER!" "You're going to flip when you try this one." After another minute or so, he looks at me and says, "You make me laugh." Finally, he picks up his fork and takes a bite. "Mmmm, it is really good". He proceeds to eat every last bit, looks up and says "Really good."

I do tend to get a little more excited than the average Joe about recipes that are crazy-good; like this Mediterranean Roasted Vegetable andPearl Pasta Salad. I guess that's why I started The Café in the first place, just to be able to share with folks like you how fun, interesting and delicious food can be. Just simple, everyday ingredients like carrots, onions, peppers, mushrooms roasted, with olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground pepper, until tender and caramelized. And tiny pearl pasta simmered in chicken broth till perfectly al dente. All these wonderful ingredients married together with a delicious olive oil, lemon and herb dressing. I mean what's there not to get excited about??

Whether you get crazy-excited about crazy-good food like I do, or your more normal like Scott,you won't want to miss this fabulous, healthy salad!

P.S. We enjoyed this salad two days in a row for lunch. It was just as delicious and looked as bright and vibrant the second day... which means you can make it in the morning or even the day before for and effortless dinner. Serve it on it's own with a loaf of warm, crusty bread or as a side to any type of grilled, roasted or pan-seared entree.

Mediterranean Roasted Vegetable and Pearl Pasta Salad

Chris Scheuer

Mediterranean Roasted Vegetable and Pearl Pasta Salad - healthy, tons of flavor, beautiful to present!

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Fresh Mediterranean

SERVINGS 6

CALORIES 296 kcal

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced
fine zest of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
extra virgin olive oil, see instructions for amounts
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, halved if large
2 medium bell peppers or 8-10 mini bell peppers, color of your choice - I used the minis in yellow, orange and red
1 medium red onion, peeled, halved, each half cut in quarters.
1 medium sweet yellow onion, peeled, halved, each half cut in quarters.
2 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into ½-inch slices
3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into ½-inch diagonal slices
1 teaspoon honey
1 ½ cups pearl pasta, also known as Israeli couscous, cooked according to package directions using chicken broth instead of water.
2 cups fresh spinach
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ cups cherry or grape tomatoes

Instructions

Combine all dressing ingredients in a small jar and shake well. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 450˚F. Line 3 sheet pans with parchment paper or foil. Allow parchment paper/foil to extend over the edges of the pans.
Place bell papers, onions and zucchini on one sheet pan. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Stir to coat veggies with oil.
Place carrots on the second pan. Drizzle with honey and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Stir to coat. Place mushrooms on the last pan and drizzle with olive oil. Stir to coat.
Scatter each pan with a generous pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Place all three pans into preheated oven with mushrooms on the lowest rack. Roast for 10 minutes then stir each pan to redistribute vegetables. Return carrots and mushrooms pans to the oven. Pan with onions, peppers and zucchini should be done at this point. If zucchini is still not tender return it to the oven for another minute or two or until tender but not mushy.
Roast carrots another 8-10 minutes or until tender. Mushrooms will take 15-20 longer minutes and should be deep golden brown when finished.8. Combine cooked couscous, roasted veggies and spinach in a large bowl.
Leave the parchment paper or foil on one of the pans and add tomatoes. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil. a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Tilt pan several times to coat tomatoes with oil. Place in the oven for 6-7 minutes or until beginning to shrivel slightly. Remove from the oven and set aside. Add dressing to pasta mixture in bowl. Stir gently to distribute. Taste, add salt and pepper if needed. Transfer to a serving dish or platter and scatter with the cherry tomatoes.
Serves 4 as a main dish, 6-8 as a side salad

Nutrition

Calories: 296kcalCarbohydrates: 46gProtein: 9gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 45mgPotassium: 672mgFiber: 5gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 6586IUVitamin C: 30mgCalcium: 55mgIron: 2mg

Keyword Mediterranean Roasted Vegetable and Pearl Pasta Salad

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Reader Interactions

Comments

Marina says
June 16, 2024 at 12:24 pm

Hello, is it 1 1/2 cup of raw or cooked pasta?
Reply
- Chris Scheuer says
  June 19, 2024 at 9:11 am
  
  Hi Marina, that's ½ cup uncooked pasta.
  Reply
  - Debbie says
    July 29, 2024 at 3:22 pm
    
    Hi - the recipe is written as 1 and 1/2 cup uncooked pasta. Is it really only 1/2 cup uncooked? I just want to ensure I have enough dressing. Thanks!
    Reply
    - Chris Scheuer says
      July 29, 2024 at 4:03 pm
      
      Hi Debbie, it's 1½ cups of raw pasta - I cook it in a combination of half chicken broth and half water like I would cook pasta, then drain off the excess liquid.
      Reply
Sharon says
June 12, 2024 at 7:16 pm

This recipe is absolutely delicious. Already looking longingly at the left overs for lunch tomorrow. I think I might sprinkle on a little feta too!
Reply
- Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
  June 12, 2024 at 8:28 pm
  
  Wonderful! Thanks for the review, Sharon!
  Reply
Anne C. Marsh says
December 16, 2022 at 1:14 am

I'm allergic to honey -- what can I sub for it on the carrots? Or can I just leave it off and roast all the veg together? (This looks SO GOOD and I can't wait to try it!)
Reply
- Chris Scheuer says
  December 16, 2022 at 2:53 am
  
  Hi Anne, you could sub maple syrup!
  Reply
Kimberly says
August 04, 2020 at 12:39 am

I absolutely love this one cold! I added beets and everything was fantastic!!!!
Reply
- Chris Scheuer says
  August 06, 2020 at 4:04 pm
  
  Thanks, Kimberly! Beets sounds wonderful in this!
  Reply
Emily says
July 20, 2020 at 1:26 pm
See Also
Creamy Stovetop Mushroom Orzo

Hi! This says it takes 3 hours and 5 minutes to make. I'm trying to figure out where the 3 hours comes from? To me it looks close to an hour to cook. Am I missing something?
Reply
- Chris Scheuer says
  July 20, 2020 at 2:51 pm
  
  No, you're not missing a thing, Emily! It's me. A while back I changed recipe plugins and it messed up all of my times. I've been trying to slowly go back and change them but with over 1200 recipes it's a slow process. I'll change this one now! Thanks!
  Reply
Liz says
December 09, 2019 at 11:30 am

Hello, Can this be made up ahead of time? I'd like to make it for a work party and do the prep work the evening before. I'm assuming if I do this I wouldn't want to put the dressing on until shortly before the party. Thank you,
Reply
- Chris Scheuer says
  December 09, 2019 at 11:46 am
  
  Yes, you could definitely make it ahead and add the dressing right before serving.
  Reply
Judy says
July 24, 2017 at 2:07 pm

This was so delicious.. even my carnivore husband didn't miss the meat!
Reply
- Chris Scheuer says
  July 24, 2017 at 2:18 pm
  
  Thanks so much Judy, so happy you enjoyed it! Thanks for letting us know 🙂
  Reply
kjnyman says
August 04, 2016 at 3:48 pm

This looks amazing! Is this salad ok to eat cold? I know you said it can be made ahead or eaten as leftovers.
Reply
- Chris Scheuer says
  August 07, 2016 at 6:02 pm
  
  Cold might not be so good, but room temperature would be fine.
  Reply
Heather says
May 07, 2016 at 3:06 pm

This was so delicious! I added black oil cured olives for extra flavor and it was so yummy!
Reply
- Chris Scheuer says
  May 07, 2016 at 3:08 pm
  
  Thanks so much for letting us know Heather! The olives sound amazing, what a great idea! I love it when people take my recipes and make them even better!
  Reply
Frankie says
September 03, 2014 at 1:36 pm

Delish!! A little effort but, WOW, worth every minute. . It's beautiful , delicious, and healthy! Thanks for recipe.
Reply
Dawn says
August 06, 2014 at 11:52 am

Hi! This looks delicious, I plan on making this for a party, my question is are you cooking the pearl pasta in plain water or chicken broth? It was mentioned but I don't see it listed in the ingredients.
Reply
Lauren says
June 20, 2014 at 2:06 am

You mention in the ingredients list that it calls for a sweet yellow onion. I think you meant pepper, looking at the photos!
Reply
- Chris Scheuer says
  June 24, 2014 at 1:43 am
  
  Hi Lauren,
  I used both a sweet yellow onion and bell peppers in the recipe.
  Reply
Nicole says
May 13, 2014 at 1:18 pm

Love all the vegetables! Isn't have couscous so I used rotini pasta but the pasta sucked up all the sauce so I splashed it win balsamic and it was amazing. Well def try it with couscous but it was still yummy
Reply
- Chris Scheuer says
  May 13, 2014 at 1:30 pm
  
  I bet it was great with the rotini and that was smart to add a splash of balsamic. Thanks for taking the time to let me know 🙂 We loved this one. I'll be making it again, for sure!
  Reply
Candy says
April 03, 2014 at 2:15 pm

This recipe was amazing, the whole family loved it. Thank you for the recipe; I am cooking impaired so anything I can make that is actually edible is a big surprise. This was really easy and turned out delicious!
Reply
- Chris Scheuer says
  April 03, 2014 at 2:16 pm
  
  Thanks so much for letting us know Candy. You are so funny - "cooking impaired" 🙂 So happy you enjoyed it. We loved this one too!
  Reply
Pam says
February 28, 2014 at 4:43 pm

The new site looks terrific!
I am loving this dish - roasted veggies are the best.
Reply
Susan says
February 27, 2014 at 5:26 pm

I have just done all the prep work for tonight's dinner. We, in Toronto, are in another deep freeze, so this salad will be a harbinger of spring!
I have read and re-read the list of ingredients and do not see spinach mentioned, yet it is referred to in the text.
I will 'wing' it in case you don't get back to me today, but hopefully you will. All the components are sensational!
Reply
- Chris Scheuer says
  February 27, 2014 at 6:01 pm
  
  Thanks Susan, I've added the spinach. So sorry - Chris
  Reply

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