Summer Pasta Salad with Roasted Vegetables White Beans, Arugula & Balsamic Dressing

This pasta salad is simple, delicious, and tastes like summer. I love having a batch in the fridge for quick meals. Using whole grain or spelt flour fusilli and white beans make this pasta salad a great source of whole grains, fiber and protein. 

Ingredients you will find in this pasta salad

• whole grain fusilli pasta
• white cannellini beans
• roasted cherry tomatoes
• pan roasted mushrooms & zucchini
• corn (off the cob or frozen corn works)
• fresh mint and basil
• garlicky balsamic dressing
• garnish: arugula and if you wish, a bit of balsamic glaze
• I haven't added vegan mozza before, but that would be a worthy addition if you can find a high quality brand in your area. I'm thinking about the aged and cultured mozzarella from Parmela Creamery. I'm making a note to remind myself to try that next time!

Summer Pasta Salad Recipe Notes

• The amounts of veg and pasta are somewhat forgiving. One time I had 450 g of pasta, the next time I made it the bag was only 375g. It's ok to have slightly different ratios of things. I always taste at the end. If it needs acidity I'll add a bit more vinegar. If it tastes too bright and acidic I'll drizzle in a bit more olive oil. It might seem like a lot of vinegar compared to olive oil in the dressing recipe, but that is from factoring in the added oil from the roasted vegetables. 
• I wouldn't use a cheap balsamic vinegar. Something a bit higher quality will have more natural sweetness. I never use 100% balsamic vinegar in my dressings either. I like to use a bit of lemon and or red wine vinegar to round out the acidity. So in that sense a bottle of good balsamic can go a long way and is probably worth spending a bit extra on. If not you might want to add some sweetness to the dressing, a bit of sugar would work. I like to add a drizzle of balsamic glaze as a garnish sometimes to the salad regardless, so that might be the only extra sweetness it needs. Sometimes I do none of that.​
• I prefer my pasta salad to be at room temperature. Rather than letting it hang out at room temperature, I often just pop a portion in the microwave for 30 seconds or so. Just to take the chill off. 

Meal Prep Images Pictured Above:

1. Green and Purple Basil from my garden
2. Cherry Tomatoes tossed in olive oil, S & P before roasting
3. Thick cut zucchini, ready to be pan roasted then cut into quarters.
4. Fresh Corn