Pasta salad is pretty much my holy grail of summer barbecue menus; it’s always the side dish I most look forward to! I’ve probably tried dozens of recipes and variations, and love to tweak what I toss in every time I make it for a party. I got creative with a new twist on my classic pasta salad to gear up for Memorial Day weekend with this new recipe — Zucchini Basil Pasta Salad. It features my favorite pasta salad noodle shape — rotini — and lots of chopped up zucchini and squash, fresh basil, and crunchy pine nuts that add tons of flavor. I ate a giant bowl of it for lunch this week, so I can attest to the tastiness! Get the full recipe below: 
Zucchini Basil Pasta Salad.
Ingredients
- 3 Cups of Cooked Rotini
- 1 Large Zucchini quartered and sliced
- 1 Large Yellow Summer Squash quartered and sliced
- ¼ Cup of Olive Oil plus more for drizzling
- ½ Cup of Pine Nuts
- 1 Tsp. of Garlic Powder
- 1 Tsp. of Onion Powder
- 1 Tbsp. of Red Wine Vinegar
- ½ Lemon juiced and zested
- 1 Large Garlic Clove minced
- 1/3 Cup of Fresh Basil chopped
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook rotini as directed, set aside to cool.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, arrange chopped up zucchini and squash pieces.
- Drizzle zucchini and squash with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Roast for about 20 minutes, flipping halfway through. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, toss the pine nuts onto the pan to toast; remove the baking sheet from the oven when done cooking and set aside to cool.
- In a bowl, combine ¼ cup of olive oil with red wine vinegar, lemon juice and zest and minced garlic. Whisk to combine and then toss with the cooked pasta, zucchini, squash and pine nuts.
- Fold in the chopped fresh basil with salt and pepper to taste; serve at room temperature.
