Grilled pepper pasta salad: A real favourite side dish

Pasta might be a traditional Italian dish but all over the world, it’s been adapted and enjoyed by a wide range of people. One of South Africa’s favourite ways to enjoy pasta is in a pasta salad and this grilled pepper pasta salad is a twist on that braai day favourite. The grilled peppers add deeper flvour to the classic recipe which you can enjoy as a whole meal or as that side for your lunch or dinner with family. It’s everything you love about a tasty pesto pasta.

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Grilled pepper pasta salad recipe

The type of pasta you choose actually makes a difference. You want the pasta to hold onto the sauce and the finely chopped peppers. The best options range from rotini pasta (spirals) to elbow macaroni and Orecchiette Pasta (pasta shells) which all hold ingredients and sauce in different ways. If you’re having a braai, you can also grill the peppers right on the fire for some extra char before finishing the pasta before you eat as much as you can.

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Make your favourite South African side dish with this grilled pepper pasta salad with pesto. It’s a tasty twist on the family favourite.

Last updated on 10 April 2023

Grilled pepper pasta salad recipe

5 from 1 vote

Recipe by Irene Muller Course: SaladsCuisine: GlobalDifficulty: easy

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

25

minutes

Total time

45

minutes

Enjoy this perfect pasta salad as a lunch or side dish. Whichever way you choose to eat yours we can guarantee you will love it!

Ingredients

• 2 2 sachets of Calamata Black pitted Olives (halved)

• 2 2 wheels of feta cheese of choice (crumbled)

• 125 g 125 pesto sauce

• 1 1 green pepper (deseeded and sliced in strips)

• 2 2 red sweet peppers (deseeded and sliced in strips) If they are long, halve them.

• 1 handful 1 spring onions

• 1 1 onion (sliced in thinly)

• 4 4 cloves of Garlic (chopped)

• 4 tbsp 4 olive oil

• Pasta of your choice

• 1 tsp 1 cumin (grounded) if it is whole cumin, grind it until fine with a pestle. Just to get the flavour going.

• 1 tsp 1 cumin

Method

• Cook your pasta as per instructions on the packet.
• Rince and mix through the cumin. Set aside.
• Place all the sliced and chopped vegetables in an oven-proof tray.

  • 

• Cover with 4 tablespoons of olive oil and make sure all is covered well.
• Place under the grill for 6 to 7 min. Keep on watching it to ensure it is not burning.
• After 6 minutes, take out, add 2 tablespoons of pesto and mix through.
• Place back in the oven and grill for another 10 min, keep mixing this while under the grill.
• When peppers are roasted, take out and mix through the pasta and the rest of the pesto.
• Crumb the feta cheese into the pasta and mix well.

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