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Ambitious Kitchen
Vegetarian DinnerNoodles + Pasta
March 29, 2022

Roasted Rainbow Vegetable Pasta with Cashew Pesto + Goat Cheese

Bright and flavorful roasted vegetable pasta with flavorful, homemade cashew pesto and creamy goat cheese. This easy roasted veggie pasta recipe is packed with fresh, colorful vegetables and perfect served warm or cold as a pasta salad. Options to grill the veggies and add your fav proteins!

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
40 mins

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roasted vegetable pasta in a bowl with goat cheese

I’m back with another revamped dinner recipe that’s packed with veggies and fresh, amazing flavors you’ll fall in love with. I first made this roasted vegetable pasta back in 2018 and absolutely fell in love. A rainbow of roasted veggies, homemade cashew pesto, and a sprinkle of tangy goat cheese — dream come true!

This pasta was my effort to please Tony’s pasta-loving taste buds and still satisfy my craving for veggies. After I made it I put it into a tupperware for Tony to find and guess what? A day later a few pieces of roasted zucchini and two curly pasta pieces remain. #TYPICAL

It’s truly the perfect vegetarian dinner or lunch to make for the week, and also makes a great side dish for potlucks and parties. I love it hot or cold, and you know I included plenty of ways to customize it throughout the post. Enjoy!

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easy roasted vegetable pasta in three bowls

Everything you’ll need to make delicious roasted vegetable pasta

This CRAZY GOOD ROASTED RAINBOW VEGETABLE PASTA has goat cheese and a creamy cashew pesto you’ll want to add to everything. Here’s everything you’ll need:

  • Veggies: we’re using eggplant, zucchini, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, red onion and grape tomatoes (if you’d like) but you can mix and match based on what you have in your fridge, too!
  • Oil: you’ll want avocado oil or olive oil for roasting up those delicious veggies.
  • Seasonings: just a bit of garlic powder, salt & pepper throughout the recipe.
  • Cashews: feel free to use raw cashew or cashew butter for the base of the delicious cashew pesto.
  • Basil leaves: for that fresh pesto flavor.
  • Pasta: I love using cellentani or cavatappi (these little swirls) but you can use any type of pasta you’d like, including whole wheat or gluten free pasta.
  • Goat cheese: a bit of goat cheese adds an irresistible creamy, tangy flavor to the pasta.

vegetables on a sheet pan to make roasted veggie pasta

Customize your pasta

There are tons of fun and delicious ways to really make this easy roasted veggie pasta dish your own! Here’s what I can recommend:

  • Choose your veggies. Roasted broccoli, mushrooms and/or brussels sprouts would also be delicious. When winter hits try this recipe with roasted squash! Feel free to stir in spinach for an extra boost of greens, too, and add Mediterranean flavor by mixing in olives or feta instead of goat cheese — you do you.
  • Pick your cheese. I love the tangy flavor of goat cheese, but this pasta would also be delicious with crumbled feta.
  • Add protein. This roasted veggie pasta packs over 10g of protein per serving, but is the perfect base for your fav extra proteins. Keep it vegetarian by adding a can of chickpeas, or mix in grilled or baked chicken or shrimp!
  • Go vegan. Feel free to omit the goat cheese crumbles to keep the pasta vegan and dairy free.

homemade cashew pesto in a bowl for a roasted vegetable pasta recipe

Can I use a different grain?

Sure! You can choose any pasta shape you’d like (even gluten free, as I mentioned) or you can try this recipe with quinoa, farro or pearl couscous. Note using quinoa would keep the recipe gluten free, too.

roasted vegetables on a sheet pan for roasted vegetable pasta

Perfect roasted veggie pasta in 4 steps

  1. Roast your veggies. Preheat your oven and divide the veggies between two trays lined with parchment paper. Drizzle each with olive oil and a sprinkle garlic powder and salt and pepper. Toss everything together, then spread out evenly on each pan and roast. Stir the veggies and rotate the pan halfway through the baking time.
  2. Make the pesto. While the veggies are roasting, you can make the pesto: add the following to the bowl of a food processor or high powered blender: cashews, basil avocado/olive oil, salt and water to thin. Process until thick, but smooth. Set aside.
  3. Cook the pasta. Next, cook the noodles according to the directions on the package until it’s al dente. Drain, then add back to the pot.
  4. Toss together & serve. Add the pesto, roasted veggies and half of the goat cheese to the pasta. Divide into bowls or meal prep containers, garnish with remaining goat cheese and extra basil leaves. Then serve & devour!

See how to make the roasted vegetable pasta

Looking to grill the vegetables?

You can! Fire up the grill this season and get all of my best tips & tricks for grilling vegetables here. Once they’re grilled, add them to the recipe as written and enjoy!

healthy roasted vegetable pasta with goat cheese in bowls

Make it extra creamy

After you cook your pasta, reserve a few tablespoons of the starchy pasta water and add it to the homemade pesto. That will create an extra creamy pesto sauce and be even more delicious when you mix it all together with the goat cheese.

vegetarian roasted vegetable pasta with goat cheese in a bowl

How to store this roasted vegetable pasta

Store this healthy roasted veggie pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. It’s delicious eaten hot or cold, so feel free to dig in straight from the fridge or warm it up a bit in the microwave!

creamy roasted vegetable pasta with pesto and goat cheese in a bowl

More pasta recipes you’ll love

Get all of my pasta recipes here, and more delicious zucchini recipes here!

If you make this healthy mediterranean pasta recipe be sure to tag #ambitiouskitchen on Instagram so I can see your creation! You can also leave a comment below and rate the recipe. Thank you for making AK recipes!

Roasted Rainbow Vegetable Pasta with Cashew Pesto + Goat Cheese

5 from 19 votes
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roasted vegetable pasta in a bowl with goat cheese
Course Dinner, Gluten Free, Lunch, Side Dish, Vegetarian
Cuisine American, Mediterranean
Keyword mediterranean pasta, roasted vegetable pasta, roasted veggie pasta
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Serves 4

Bright and flavorful roasted vegetable pasta with flavorful, homemade cashew pesto and creamy goat cheese. This easy roasted veggie pasta recipe is packed with fresh, colorful vegetables and perfect served warm or cold as a pasta salad. Options to grill the veggies and add your fav proteins!

Ingredients

  • For the veggies:
  • 1 baby eggplant, sliced and quartered (or sub 1 zucchini)
  • 1 medium zucchini, sliced and quartered
  • 1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into chunks
  • 1 red onion, cut into chunks
  • Optional: 1 package grape tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Freshly ground salt and pepper
  • For the cashew pesto:
  • 1/3 cup roasted or raw cashews OR 2 tablespoons cashew butter
  • 1 cup basil leaves (from 1 oz package)
  • 2-3 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2-3 tablespoons warm water, to thin pesto
  • For the pasta:
  • 2 ½ cups (8 ounce) cellentani pasta (or pasta of choice -- can use whole wheat or gluten free)
  • ½ cup goat cheese crumbles, divided

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide the veggies between two trays, then drizzle each with 1 tablespoon of oil and a sprinkle garlic powder and salt and pepper, to taste. 

  2. Toss together to coat the veggies, then spread out evenly on each pan. Roast for 15 minutes, then stir the veggies and rotate the pans and bake for 15-20 minutes more until veggies are tender.

  3. While the veggies are roasting, you can make the pesto: add the following to the bowl of a food processor or high powered blender: cashews, basil avocado/olive oil, salt and water to thin. Process until thick, but smooth. Set aside.

  4. Next, cook the pasta according to the directions on the package until it’s al dente. Drain, then add back to the pot. 

  5. Fold in the pesto, roasted veggies and half of the goat cheese. Divide into bowls or meal prep containers, garnish with remaining goat cheese and extra basil leaves, if desired. Serves 4 as a meal and 6 as a side.

Recipe Notes

This is a great dish for leftovers or meal prepping. See the full post for ways to customize and to add your favorite proteins!

To store: store this roasted veggie mediterranean pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. It's delicious eaten hot or cold, so feel free to dig in straight from the fridge or warm it up a bit in the microwave!

Nutrition

Servings: 4 servings
Serving size: 1 serving
Calories: 498kcal
Fat: 21.8g
Saturated fat: 4.7g
Carbohydrates: 65.4g
Fiber: 7.8g
Sugar: 11.4g
Protein: 13.4g

Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats

This post was originally published on January 29th, 2018, and republished on March 29th, 2022.

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roasted vegetable pasta in a bowl with goat cheese

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