Notes
This recipe works well for barbecues or other casual get-togethers. You can grill the vegetables and boil the pasta beforehand, then assemble the dish once your proteins are on the grill. The versatility of this recipe means that it can change with the seasons. Although it’s best with summer vegetables, it can be made with asparagus, ramps, and scallions in the spring, or squash, sweet potatoes, and mushrooms in the fall and winter.
SERVES 6
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant, sliced into ½-inch rounds
- 2 small zucchini, sliced into ½-inch rounds
- 1 red and 1 yellow bell pepper, cores discarded, cut into large pieces for easier grilling
- 1 medium red onion, cut into ½-inch rings
- 2 ripe plum tomatoes, halved and seeded
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon peperoncino flakes
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 pound mezzi rigatoni
- 1 cup loosely packed basil leaves, chopped
Directions
1 Preheat a two-burner grill pan or an outdoor grill to medium-high heat. Put all of the vegetables into a large bowl, and drizzle them with ¼ cup of the olive oil. Season with 2 teaspoons salt and the peperoncino. Toss well.
2 Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.
3 Grill the vegetables, in batches, until they’re visibly seared and tender, turning as needed to keep them from burning. The eggplant, pepper, and onion will take 7 to 10 minutes, the zucchini 5 to 6 minutes, the tomatoes 3 to 4 minutes.
4 Once all of the vegetables are grilled, put the zucchini slices into a bowl. Separate the onion slices into individual rings and add them to the bowl (if some of the rings are very large, you can chop them). Cut the eggplant and peppers into thick strips and add them to the bowl. Coarsely chop the tomatoes and add them to the bowl as well. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and the balsamic vinegar. Toss, and set the vegetables aside while you cook the pasta.
5 Cook the pasta until it’s al dente. Drain it well, and add it to the bowl of vegetables. Season everything with 1 teaspoon salt, and toss well.
Allow the pasta and vegetables to cool and to soak up the flavors for 5 minutes or so. Sprinkle everything with the basil. Toss, and serve warm or at room temperature; the salad can be made up to a day ahead and refrigerated. Excerpted from LIDIA’S THE ART OF PASTA by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali. Copyright © 2025 by Tutti a Tavola, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
