This Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad is a must for any summer gathering! It features grilled veggies, pearl couscous, and feta cheese, all tossed in an herby chimichurri vinaigrette. This is an easy side dish that’s fresh, colorful, and always gets rave reviews! It’s great for make-ahead lunches too and can be enjoyed warm or cold.
“This was absolutely delicious. I added half a lemon and it was so good.” – Asil, So Much Food reader
Table of Contents
This Simple Pasta Salad Is Bursting with Summer Vegetables
When I’m looking for an easy side dish to bring to a BBQ or potluck, I turn to long-time favorites like my Hawaiian-style mac salad, doctored up baked beans, and this incredible grilled veggie pasta salad.
I originally developed this recipe several years ago and have been tweaking it until it’s absolutely perfect. It’s light, fresh, and perfect for vegetarians and meat eaters alike.
This summer pasta salad is easy to customize with your favorite vegetables and pasta shapes and can be served warm or chilled. It’s just about the most easy-going pasta salad recipe ever!
The combination of the crisp-tender grilled veggies, soft couscous, salty feta, and tangy chimichurri is just perfect. It checks all the flavor boxes, so add this pasta salad to your next cookout menu!
Equipment You’ll Need
Ingredients and Substitutions
You can find the full list of ingredients, quantities, and method in the recipe card at the end of the page.
- Pearl couscous. AKA Israeli couscous. It’s tiny toasted pasta balls developed in Israel in the 1950s when rice was scarce. Pearl couscous has a nice, chewy texture that holds its shape even after being reheated. The pasta grains don’t stick together, making it ideal for pasta salads. You could also use orzo, farfalle, or any other small format pasta shape.
- Vegetables. I did a mix of bell pepper, zucchini, and red onion but you could swap in or add your favorites. Eggplant, carrots, squash, mushrooms, and green beans are also great vegetables for pasta salad.
- Feta. I love the saltiness and flavor that some crumbled feta adds. You could also use some shaved parmesan or even crumbled goat cheese.
- Dried spices. I tossed the veggies with oregano and garlic powder before grilling to add extra flavor.
- Fresh herbs. For our chimichurri dressing I used mint, cilantro, and parsley for a well-rounded flavor.
- Olive oil. Use a flavorful and quality olive oil for the dressing.
- Red Wine Vinegar. You could swap in any flavorful vinegar like white wine, champagne, or sherry vinegar.
How to Make Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad
Jenny’s Tip: The smoky flavor that comes from grilling the veggies really takes this pasta salad to the next level, but you can also roast them in the oven (I’ve provided instructions in the recipe card below).
- Chop the veggies. Since we’re grilling them with a grill basket, you’re fine to chop them into bite-sized pieces. If you don’t own a grill basket, keep the veggies in bigger chunks and then chop them up after grilling.
- Toss with olive oil and spices. Coating the veggies in oil keeps them moist and prevents them from sticking to the grill basket.
- Preheat the grill basket. Once you’ve preheated your grill to 400ºF, place the grill basket on it and let it preheat for about 5 minutes.
- Grill the veggies. You’ll want to grill the veggies on the grill basket with the grill lid closed to encourage even cooking. My veggies usually take about 15 minutes total, and I always toss them every 5 minutes to prevent sticking.
- Meanwhile, make the dressing and cook the couscous. The chimichurri dressing gets whisked together in a large mixing bowl (you can use whatever bowl you plan on serving the pasta salad from) and the pearl couscous will probably need about 8 to 10 minutes to cook. Read the package instructions to be sure!
- Toss to combine. I like to toss the couscous and grilled vegetables in the chimichurri before crumbling in the feta (this prevents it from disappearing to the bottom of the bowl).
Ways to Customize Your Pasta Salad
This recipe is so flexible and easy to adjust to your tastes and to what you have on hand. Here are my favorite ways to mix things up with this recipe:
Add a protein: This recipe is hearty and filling as-is, nut I also love adding cubes of grilled chicken or steak for extra flavor. You could also add in some chickpeas or lentils for a vegetarian protein source.
Choose a different pasta shape: I love the unique texture that pearl couscous gives this pasta salad, but I also love making this recipe with orzo. You could also use any short format pasta like farfalle (bow ties), fusilli, or even macaroni elbows.
Mix up the veggies: You can swap in different grilled vegetables to suit your tastes like grilled corn, mushrooms, green beans, squash, carrots, etc.
Storage Instructions
If you have leftover pasta salad, store in an airtight container in the fridge. You can store the pasta salad for up to 5 days.
This recipe is a great option for meal prep and only gets better the longer the flavors meld together! I don’t recommend freezing this recipe as the vegetables don’t hold up well to freezing.
What to Serve with This Pasta Salad
You can easily make this grilled summer vegetable pasta salad a meal in its own right, but it’s a great side dish too! I love serving it at casual parties and summer BBQs. It’s also one of my favorite meal prep sides.
Here are my favorite summer mains to serve with it:
If you do give it a try, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram. I LOVE hearing about & seeing your SMF creations!
More Pasta Salads That Feed a Crowd
- Creamy Pesto Pasta Salad
- Italian Grinder Pasta Salad
- BLT Pasta Salad
- Tortellini Pasta Salad
- Caprese Orzo Salad
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Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Chimichurri Dressing
- 1 tablespoon finely minced shallot
- 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves
- 1/4 cup minced fresh flat leaf parsley leaves
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh mint leaves
- 1 garlic clove , grated
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Pasta Salad
- 8 oz Israeli or pearl couscous
- 4 oz feta , crumbled
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 2 zucchini
- 1 red onion
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- kosher salt , to taste
- freshly cracked black pepper , to taste
Instructions
- Prep the veggies for grilling. Cut the onion into small wedges and cut the bell peppers and zucchini into uniform, bite-sized pieces. Add the veggies to a large mixing bowl and toss with the olive oil, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- Prep and preheat the grill. Before using your grill, make sure to clean the grates of any food and debris. Lightly grease the grates with nonstick spray. Set the temperature to medium-high. Close the lid and wait until the temperature reaches 400ºF. Place the grill basket on the grill to preheat for 5 minutes, then lightly grease the grill basket.
- Grill the veggies. Pour the veggies into the grill basket and spread so that they're in an even layer. Close the lid and grill the veggies for 15 minutes, tossing them every 5 minutes so that they grill evenly. Transfer the grilled veggies to a large heat-proof mixing bowl and let them cool slightly.
- Make the dressing. Whisk together the ingredients for the chimichurri dressing until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Cook the couscous. Cook the couscous according to package instructions in salted water. Drain into a colander or strainer and rinse with cold water until the pasta is cool. Add to the bowl with the grilled veggies.
- Finish the salad. Add the dressing to the couscous and veggies and toss well. Crumble in the feta cheese and stir. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve the grilled veggie pasta salad at room temperature, or chilled.
Rate & Review This Recipe
This was absolutely delicious. I added half a lemon and it was so good.
So happy you enjoyed it!