Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Harris Teeter, but all opinions are my own. Read my full disclosure policy here.
Delicious served hot or cold, this roasted vegetable pasta salad is a great main course or side dish for lunch or dinner. Switch up the veggies and fresh herbs, depending on your tastes or what’s in season.
While we love heading out on family adventures and certainly give ourselves plenty of time to relax and have fun, weekends are a time of getting stuff done at our house. It’s when we tackle our chores and projects and knock out errands so we’re ready for the week ahead.
There’s always a lot of menu planning and cooking that happens over the weekend, and that means a trip to the grocery store to stock up on fresh, healthy ingredients.
This weekend, I made an easy pan roasted vegetable pasta salad with squash and mushrooms and homemade arroz con pollo with organic ingredients.
The vegetable pasta salad is great to make on the weekend because you’ll have plenty of leftovers for lunches or sides throughout the week. That’s one of my favorite money-saving menu-planning tricks: prepare dishes over the weekend that will provide leftover meals throughout the week.
If you need help with menu planning, don’t forget to grab my subscriber-exclusive free printable recipe and menu planning binder.
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Arroz con Pollo is a perfect weekend comfort food that can be cooking on the stove while you tackle chores or relax on the couch with a good book!
Both recipes from our menu plan are made with simple, healthy, organic ingredients.
I used to think it was too expensive to buy organic, but then I discovered the Harris Teeter Organics at my trusted grocer. There are 351 items in the Harris Teeter Organics line, spanning all grocery categories, including fresh produce, dairy, pasta, snacks, condiments and beverages.
Harris Teeter Organics are locally sourced, and they are free from antibiotics, growth hormones, artificial flavors, colors and preservatives, as well as synthetic fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides. Some of the items are priced below convention, non-organic brands, so buying organic doesn’t skyrocket our grocery bill. Just look for the purple low price tag.
Harris Teeter Organics items also are guaranteed; if you’re not satisfied with an item for any reason, return it to your local store for a refund and a replacement of a similar item of your choice. (Some restrictions apply.)
I was able to buy the ingredients for our two healthy weekend meals (plus, a few extras for later in the week), for around $25.
Look at all that colorful produce! It’s all going into the pan-roasted vegetable pasta salad.
Pan Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 16 ounces penne pasta
- 4 TBS olive oil
- 1/2 purple onion chopped
- 2 yellow squash chopped
- 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup feta cheese
- basil for garnish
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the pasta according to the package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water and allow to cool.
- In a large skillet, heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil on medium.
- Add onions and squash and saute for 3 minute.
- Add mushrooms and garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes more, until vegetables are just cooked, but not wilted.
- Remove vegetables from the heat and allow them to cool for a few minutes.
- Combine the vegetables and pasta in a large bowl and toss with remaining 3 Tablespoons of olive oil and feta cheese. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate for several hours and serve cold. Garnish with basil and additional feta cheese.
Nutrition
I prefer serving this dish vegetable pasta salad cold, as intended. But when my husband takes the leftovers to work for lunch, he sometimes heats it up and says it’s delish that way, too!
Don’t you love a recipe that does double duty?
Another great thing about this recipe is that it’s very versatile. If you don’t like squash or mushrooms, you can substitute another vegetable of your choosing. Sometimes, I make it with zucchini and squash to add more color. Broccoli is another great choice.
For more great organic weekend meal ideas, check back later in the week for my Arroz con pollo recipe, courtesy of my friend, Alex.
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