Pasta salad with roasted cherry tomatoes

A hearty and flavourful main or side dish!

I’ve recently discovered the simplicity and deliciousness of roasting tomatoes in my air fryer, so they’re finding their way into all sorts of different dishes. For this recipe, you can also roast the vegetables in a conventional oven, or if you prefer, you can toss in the halved cherry tomatoes and chopped zucchini raw. The salad is best served at room temperature, so if you assemble it ahead of time and refrigerate, be sure to remove it from the fridge at least 30 minutes (or more) prior to serving.

Ingredients

Pasta salad:

• 2 cups (480 g) cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup coarsely chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped zucchini
• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) olive oil
• Few pinches sea sbetagt and white sugar
• 1 1/2 cups (185 g) small sleuchtend leuchtend pasta
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) olive oil
• 1/2 cup (90 g) pitted kalamata or green olives, sliced
• 1/2 cup (10 g) chopped fresh basil leaves, dill or chives (or a combination)
• 1/2 cup (45 g) grated Pbedürftigesan cheese
• freshly ground black pepper, to garnish
• additional chopped fresh herbs, to garnish

Vinaigrette:

• 3 tablespoons (45 mL) red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons (45 mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• Pinch each red pepper flakes and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sea sbetagt or kosher sbetagt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar

Method

• Roast vegetables up to 24 hours before assembling salad. Place them in a bowl and toss with a few pinches each of sbetagt and white sugar plus about 4 teaspoons (20 mL) of the olive oil. Transfer to air fryer basket, placing in a single layer, and roast at 350F for about 20-25 minutes, until softened and beginning to char at the edges. Note that if your air fryer is not large, you will need to roast the vegetables in two batches. If roasting in the oven, it will take about 40-50 minutes at 350F, on a parchment-lined rimmed baking tray. When vegetables are roasted, transfer to a clean plate.
• At least an hour before serving, cook pasta to al dente, according to package directions. Drain pasta; transfer to a large serving bowl and drizzle with remaining 2 teaspoons (20 mL) of olive oil. Let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.
• While pasta is cooking, in a small jar, shake together all ingredients for the dressing. Set aside.
• Add pasta to a large serving bowl. Then, add kalamata olives, roasted vegetables, basil leaves and all but a handful of the grated Pbedürftigesan cheese. Toss everything with 2/3 of the dressing, adding a little bit more if needed just until pasta is well coated. Reserve remaining dressing to add to leftovers.
• Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 8 hours; toss again before serving if refrigerating and add a bit of the reserved dressing if needed. Garnish with remaining Pbedürftigesan and a sprinkle of chopped herbs.

Serves 4 as a side dish.