Grilled Vegetables with Pasta

Grilled Vegetables with Pasta make a fresh, quick, easy, and delicious dinner the whole family loves.

When I recently asked the question on my Facebook page what kind of recipes you all get most excited about seeing, a frequent answer was “dinner!”  I get it.  Dinner can be my nemesis.  On one hand, I love to cook.  I do.  But cooking loses some of its allure when it’s a weeknight and I have a checklist that looks like this that I’m trying to accomplish with one meal:

-Filling enough for my 6′ 3″, 240 pound husband

-Mild enough for my 3 and 6 year olds who think black pepper is too spicy

-Without refined grains or overly processed foods

-Lots of vegetables

-Not too much dairy

-Easy enough to be prepared into the ever-shrinking time frame I have to cook

-Enough variety so I don’t get bored eating the same thing over and over

-Preparing something that looks appealing to all three of my family members

Instead of throwing my hands in the air and calling it quits, I try to keep things simple most nights.  A few nights I have to throw a curve ball in there so I don’t get bored with dinner.  This dinner isn’t one of those curve balls.  This is one of those safe dinners that’s easy to prepare and is always on stand-by if I need it.

It’s so easy to transform fresh vegetables into a filling and delicious vegetarian meal.  I use whole wheat pasta as much as I can get away with it, but use whatever your family prefers.  This vegetarian dinner comes together in a snap.

I use our grill pan to cook the vegetables on the grill.  It gives the vegetables tremendous flavor and a nice char from the open flame.  This is the grill pan (<—affiliate link) we have and I highly recommend it.  I use this thing a couple times a week about five months out of the year!  It’s actually called a “vegetable basket” because of its shape, and I love that the sides are high enough that I can shake around the vegetables during the grilling time and they don’t go flying out of the pan.  We’ve had other grill pans in the past, but this is by far my favorite.

If you don’t have a grill pan, you can also grill your vegetables in a foil packet.  If you don’t have a grill, then simply roast the vegetables in the oven.  I do that all winter long with basically the same dish!

As you can see, our grill pan has been used often and well loved.  I’m going to get to the recipe, and then make sure you scroll to the end of the post because I’m going to tell you lots of ways you can customize this.  There’s so much you can do with this easy vegetarian dinner!  I hope it finds a slot in your regular dinner rotation.

There’s so much you can do with grilled vegetables+pasta.  Customize this meal!

-Use a different cheese.  Feta or goat’s cheese are both great options.

-Use different vegetables.  Whatever you have on hand will probably work!

-Add garlic and lemon

-Switch out the pasta:  penne, farfalle, campanelle, or rotini would all work well

Grilled Vegetables with Pasta

A quick, easy and tasty weeknight meal

• Author: Healthy Happy Mama
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: serves 4-6 1x
• Category: main meal
• Cuisine: American

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

1 bunch of asparagus, tough ends removed and cut into 2-inch pieces

2 large zucchinis, cut in half length wise and then sliced

1 bell pepper, seeds removed and then cut into 2-inch pieces

1/4 of a large onion, diced

1/4 cup avocado oil (or oil of choice, preferably a high-heat oil)

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

12 ounces whole wheat spaghetti

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

8–9 fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips

Instructions

 

Preheat your grill to medium heat, about 400-425 degrees.

Put all of your cut vegetables into a large bowl and add the avocado oil, thyme, salt and pepper. Toss to evenly coat with the oil and seasonings. Transfer the vegetables to a grill pan. Put the pan directly on the grill grates and close the grill.

Cook until the vegetables are tender and charred, about 20-30 minutes. Toss the vegetables 2-3 times during the grilling time to ensure they grill evenly.

Meanwhile, put your spaghetti in a large pot and fill with water. Add 1 tablespoon salt to the water. Bring to a boil and cook according to package directions. Before you drain the spaghetti, reserve 1 cup of the cooking water (you won’t need quite that much, but it’s better to have too much than not enough). Drain the pasta and do not rinse.

Put the pasta back into the pot and add the olive oil, butter, and a few tablespoons of the pasta water. Stir until the butter is melted.

Add the cooked vegetables to the pot and toss them around so they are evenly incorporated into the pasta (sometimes I use tongs to do this).

Add the parmesan cheese and a few more tablespoons of the cooking water. Add more water if the pasta seems too dry; I usually add about 1/2 cup total. Top with the fresh basil and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1
• Calories: 362
• Sugar: 2.5g
• Sodium: 469mg
• Fat: 16.3g
• Carbohydrates: 47.3g
• Protein: 10.6g

Keywords: vegetable pasta