This cold pasta dish is not only a delicious cooling summer dish, but also pure joy for the eyes! Surely, few things can be imagined that transport a more summery feeling than roasted vegetables of all colors, lovely green pasta, sun-dried tomatoes and tangy goat cheese.

I suggest using foglie d’ulive which is a type of pasta from Liguria and which – as the name suggests – is shaped like an olive leaf. I find it looks particularly pretty in this dish but it may not be easy to get outside Italy/Liguria. – Luckily, the dish works with other kinds of pasta as well 😉

Sanni

Ingredients (serves 4 to 6):

For the pasta dish:

• 1/2 kuri pumpkin, seeds removed and cut into ca. 1.5 to 2 cm thick slices
• 2 large vine tomatoes, halved
• 1 large or 2 small zucchini(s), cut into ca. 2 cm thick slices
• 4 portobello mushrooms or 6 to 8 large chestnut mushrooms
• 500 grams of foglie d’ulive (or another type of pasta, e.g. green fusilli)
• 8 to 10 sun-dried tomatoes, cut into strips
• 200 grams of queso de cabra, cut or broken into small cubes/pieces

For the dressing:

• 1 shot of orange liqueur
• ca. 50 ml of balsamic white vinegar
• ca. 60 ml of extra virgin olive oil
• fresh oregano, finely chopped
• freshly ground pepper, salt

Preparation:

1. Fire up the barbecue and roast the pumpkin, zucchini, tomato and mushrooms until nicely colored.
2. Set aside the roasted vegetables to let cool down, then cut into smaller bite-sized pieces as you like it.
3. Boil the pasta in salt water according to instruction until al dente. Then strain and transfer into an ice water bath to stop the cooking process. Once cooled down completely, let drip off well.
4. Prepare a dressing from the orange liqueur, vinegar, olive oil and fresh oregano. Season with freshly ground pepper and salt to taste.
5. Prepare either individual servings or one large bowl as follows: Mix the cold pasta with the roasted vegetables and sun-dried tomatoes and sprinkle with queso de cabra.
6. Finally, spoon the dressing over the dishes, serve and enjoy!