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These Easy Pesto Roasted Vegetables will likely become a staple side dish in your kitchen once you discover how flavorful they are, yet how simple they are to prepare. With basically three ingredients, they’re a delicious side dish to serve with any meal. Toss your favorite summer veggies with pesto and a bit of extra virgin olive oil and bake until tender.
Easy Pesto Roasted Vegetables are a great side dish to any meal–loaded with flavor and texture and so good! They’ve been a hit every time that I’ve made them and have become my go-to recipe for a last minute dinner, especially in summer when I can use my home grown veggies for it.
And, they couldn’t be easier! While roasting vegetables is probably not new to you, you may be pleasantly surprised once you realize how delicious they are when prepared this way. Start with a savory prepared pesto for ease, then toss it with the cut mixed vegetables until they are well-coated. Roast at a high heat until tender, sprinkle the veggies with grated cheese, broil them until the cheese is nice and crispy, and that’s it!
These roasted pesto vegetables are very similar to my pesto roasted potatoes recipe–equally as easy and delicious!
Some of my other favorite summer veggie recipes are Zucchini Fritters, Roasted Provençal Tomatoes, Stuffed Eggplant and Crispy Panko Crusted Zucchini and Summer Squash.
Like my ciambotta summer veggie stew, you can really use any selection of summer vegetables and aromatics in this recipe. It’s a great way to use up your annual surplus of summer zucchini, peppers and eggplant (or take advantage of all the fresh product available locally in the hot summer months) in the most delicious way. Use what you have on hand or what’s available in your home garden!
Hope you give roasted vegetables with pesto a try at your next family dinner. It’s also great at holiday dinners throughout the year and pair perfectly with all the traditional entrees and holiday sides! Mangia bene!
Ingredients for Pesto Roasted Vegetables
To make roasted mixed vegetables with pesto, we’ll need:
- Vegetables: The star of the dish! Like my giambotta summer vegetable stew recipe, you can use any proportion and amount of the different vegetables as you wish. Use what you have on hand or what’s available in your home garden! I chose the following vegetables as they are all prevalent in summer and also (more importantly), they cook in about the same amount of time: eggplant, peppers, zucchini, squash, onions and garlic.
- Pesto: With delicious ingredients like basil, garlic, pine nuts, parmesan cheese and extra-virgin olive oil, pesto adds a savory punch and is all the seasoning that you will need for these delicious vegetables. I add a little freshly-ground black pepper to the veggies after they are tossed with the pesto, but it can easily be left out. You can use either store-bought or homemade pesto in this recipe.
- Pecorino Cheese: To add a really nice, toasted cheese topping to these pesto veggies, I choose sharp pecorino cheese to complement the earthy parmigiano already present in the pesto as the last step in cooking. But, you can use parmigiano for this step if you prefer, or skip the final broiling step all together and still have a delicious dish.
How to Make Pesto Roasted Vegetables, Step-by-Step
This is a really simple recipe that can be made quickly once all the vegetables are prepped. The last step of adding the grated cheese and broiling really makes the dish special, but it can easily be left out and you will still have a delicious dish.
Here are the steps to making pesto and vegetables:
- Prep all the vegetables. I used a combination of different cuts for visual appeal (see photo below), but you can do whatever size and shape that you like.
- PRO-TIP: Try to keep the sizes more or less the same so that the vegetables will cook at the same time. I cut mine about 1” big.
- Pat the vegetables dry with a paper towel if they are moist, then place them in a large bowl. Toss with the pesto sauce until the veggies are evenly coated. Use additional pesto as needed.
- Arrange the pesto-rubbed vegetables in a single-layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle them lightly with black pepper.
- Roast uncovered in the preheated 425˚F oven for about 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender when pierced with a knife. Rotate the sheet pan once about halfway through the cooking process.
- PRO-TIP: Using a high oven temperature ensures that the veggies will get come caramelization while roasting.
- Remove the sheet pan from the oven and turn the oven to low broil mode. Sprinkle the pesto vegetables evenly with the pecorino cheese, then return the sheet pan to the oven and broil for 2 to 3 minutes on the same middle rack. Remove the veggies from the oven immediately once the cheese begins to brown lightly. Serve immediately or at room temperature. That’s it!
- PRO-TIP: Be sure to watch the veggies closely while broiling so as to prevent burning. Don’t walk too far away!
More Delicious Vegetable Recipes You’ll Love
If you’ve enjoyed this pesto roasted vegetables recipe, check out these other summer favorites:
- Chunky Zucchini Pesto Bruschetta
- Classic Zucchini Fritters with Lemon and Basil
- Baked Panko Crusted Zucchini and Summer Squash
- Italian Sautéed Bell Peppers with Olives and Capers (Peperonata)
- Sautéed Dandelion Greens
- Zucchini Parmesan with Ricotta
- Baked Tomatoes Provençal with Parmesan and Breadcrumbs
- Tomato Confit with Garlic
- Dandelion Salad with Fennel and Red Onion
If you love pesto, check out these other recipes featuring this popular, fragrant and aromatic sauce: Pesto Tortellini Salad, Pesto Ricotta Pasta, Creamy Zucchini Pasta, Zucchini Soup with Pesto and Turkey Meatballs with Pesto.
Recipe Substitutions and Variations
Pesto Vegetables is a flexible and forgiving recipe–you can use any proportion and amount of the different vegetables as you wish.
I chose popular summer veggies, but you could just as easily make this with winter squash or spring asparagus. (Check out my version of this recipe with everyone’s favorite spud here–roasted potatoes with pesto.) The only difference would be the cooking time.
And, if you plan on mixing and matching vegetables, as I’ve done here, be sure to only put vegetables that more or less cook at the same time on the same sheet pan. If you want to add, say, potatoes or winter squash to this summer mix, they should be roasted on a separate sheet pan since these denser veggies will take longer to cook. Then, toss them together after roasting.
TOP TIPS FOR PESTO ROASTED VEGETABLES
- Veggie Selection: Like my ciambotta summer veggie stew recipe, you can use any proportion and amount of the different vegetables as you wish. Use what you have on hand or what’s available in your home garden! I chose this selection of vegetables as they are all prevalent in summer and also (more importantly), they cook in about the same amount of time. This is important. If you want to add, say, potatoes or winter squash to this mix, you should roast them on a separate sheet pan since these denser veggies take longer to cook. Then, toss them together after roasting.
- Oven Temperature: Using a high oven temperature ensures some caramelization of the pesto veggies.
- Broiling & Grated Cheese: To add a really nice, toasted cheese topping to the pesto roasted veggies, I choose sharp pecorino cheese to complement the earthy parmigiano already present in the pesto as the last step in cooking these potatoes. But, you can use parmigiano for this step if you prefer, or skip the final broiling step all together and still have a delicious dish.
- Serving: Although these pesto roasted vegetables are perfect for summer, I enjoy them year-round both on weeknights and weekends because they’re so simple to prepare. They pair perfectly with entrée salads, steak pizzaiola, chicken cutlets or sandwiches like meatball parm hero. They’re also great on sandwiches, topped on salads and mixed with pasta for a quick and easy vegetarian pesto pasta
. - Leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. Reheat them, covered, in a small skillet over medium low heat with a little bit of water until heated through. You can also reheat leftovers in the microwave. Due to the low fat content of this recipe, it will not freeze well.
More Great Recipes to Try
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Easy Pesto Roasted Vegetables
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 large yellow onion (about 10 ounces)
- 1 medium eggplant (about 12 ounces)
- 2-3 bell peppers or cubanelle peppers (12-16 ounces)
- 1 large zucchini (about 10 ounces)
- 1 large yellow squash (about 10 ounces)
- 12 cloves garlic, peeled (or as many as you want)
- ¾ cup pesto, either homemade or store-bought (about 6 ounces)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- Pinch black pepper
- ⅓-½ cup grated pecorino cheese
- To taste salt (if needed)
Instructions
- Gather all ingredients. Preheat the oven to 425˚F and arrange a rack in the center of the oven. Use the convection setting on the oven if it’s available.(Please see the section above in the blog post for Step-By-Step instructions with photos.)
- Prep all the vegetables. I used a combination of different cuts for visual appeal (see photo above), but you can do whatever size and shape that you like. Try to keep the sizes more or less the same so that the vegetables will cook at the same time. Here is what I did: thick julienned the peppers, large diced the onions and yellow squash and cut the eggplant and green squash into bias, half moons. I cut the veggies about 1” big.1 large yellow onion, 1 medium eggplant, 2-3 bell peppers or cubanelle peppers, 1 large zucchini, 1 large yellow squash, 12 cloves garlic,
- Pat the vegetables dry with a paper towel if they are moist, then place them in a large bowl. Toss with the pesto and olive oil until the veggies are evenly coated. Use additional pesto as needed.¾ cup pesto,, 2 Tbsp olive oil
- Arrange the pesto-rubbed vegetables in a single-layer on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Sprinkle them lightly with black pepper.Pinch black pepper
- Roast uncovered in the preheated 425˚F oven for about 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender when pierced with a knife. Rotate the sheet pan once about halfway through the cooking process.
- Remove the sheet pan from the oven and turn the oven to low broil mode. Sprinkle the vegetables evenly with the pecorino cheese, then return the sheet pan to the oven and broil for 2 to 3 minutes on the same middle rack, watching it closely so as to prevent burning. Remove the veggies from the oven immediately once the cheese begins to brown lightly. Taste for seasoning and sprinkle with salt if needed. (You may not need any due to the salt content in both the pesto and cheese.)⅓-½ cup grated pecorino cheese, To taste salt
- Serve immediately or at room temperature. Sprinkle with a little more cheese at the time of serving, if desired. Buon Appetito!
Notes
- This is a really simple recipe that can be made quickly once all the vegetables are prepped. The last step of adding the grated cheese and broiling really makes the dish special, but it can easily be left out and you will still have a delicious dish.
- For the bell peppers, I do not suggest green as they tend to be a bit bitter. Use yellow, orange or red bell peppers for best results.
- Using a high oven temperature ensures that the veggies will get come caramelization while roasting.
- Like my ciambotta summer veggie stew recipe, you can use any proportion and amount of the different vegetables as you wish. Use what you have on hand or what’s available in your home garden! I chose this selection of vegetables as they are all prevalent in summer and also (more importantly), they cook in about the same amount of time. This is important. If you want to add, say, potatoes or winter squash to this mix, they should be roasted on a separate sheet pan since these denser veggies will take longer to cook. Then, toss them together after roasting.
- To add a really nice, toasted cheese topping to the veggies, I choose sharp pecorino cheese to complement the earthy parmigiano already present in the pesto as the last step in cooking these potatoes. But, you can use parmigiano for this step if you prefer, or skip the final broiling step all together and still have a delicious dish.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. Reheat them, covered, in a small skillet over medium low heat with a little bit of water until heated through. You can also reheat leftovers in the microwave. Due to the low fat content of this recipe, it will not freeze well.
Delicious and SOOOO easy! I ate leftovers cold standing up at the fridge and they were amazing too. Will definitely make it again. Thank you.