ROASTED EGGPLANT AND ASPARAGUS PASTA SALAD

Roasted Eggplant and Asparagus Pasta Salad image

This pasta salad is not only delicious, but very versatile. It can be used as an appetizer or a side dish. It's great because it is not a traditional pasta salad. It's something I came up with for my daughter's 1st birthday and have been making ever since.

Provided by Marni

Categories Salad 100+ Pasta Salad Recipes

Time 3h35m

Yield 12

Number Of Ingredients 13

Ingredients

1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed
2 eggplant, cut crosswise into 3/4-inch-thick slices
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, or as needed
garlic powder, or to taste
1 (1 pound) package whole-wheat penne pasta
1 ⅓ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, or as needed
1 ⅓ tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
½ lemon, juiced
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar, or to taste
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
1 pinch salt-free seasoning blend
freshly ground black pepper

Steps:

Place a baking rack in the top of the oven.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Spread asparagus spears and eggplant slices on the baking sheet, and drizzle vegetables with 1/4 cup olive oil; sprinkle with garlic powder.
Roast the asparagus and eggplant in the preheated oven until tender, 12 to 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and cool. When cool, roughly chop the vegetables; set aside.
Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a boil. Stir in penne and return to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through but is still slightly firm, about 9 minutes. Drain well.
Transfer about 1/4 of the penne at a time into a large salad bowl, drizzling each batch with about 1 teaspoon of olive oil and a 1 teaspoon of Parmesan cheese. Stir between additions.
Stir in roasted asparagus and eggplant, lemon juice, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, balsamic vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce until thoroughly combined.
Sprinkle pasta salad with salt-free seasoning and black pepper.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate the pasta salad until thoroughly chilled and the flavors have blended, at least 3 hours.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 209.3 calories, Carbohydrate 27.6 g, Cholesterol 2 mg, Fat 7.5 g, Fiber 3.5 g, Protein 8.5 g, SaturatedFat 1.3 g, Sodium 52.2 mg, Sugar 1.6 g