Vegan pasta salad with caramelised balsamic

This recipe will actually take me longer to type up than it did to cook. It’s perfect Summer eating, easily stretches to feed a crowd, and is full of vegetables too. You could definitely add some kind of crumbled cheese as well as olives and give it a Greek vibe, and some lentils or black beans would also be perfect.

what you need

• one packet of pasta suitable for salad, e.g. fusili, penne, shells, etc.
• olive oil for sauteeing and dressing
• one brown or red onion, peeled and sliced into wedges
• 250 gm button mushrooms, halved or quartered depending on size
• one zucchini, large diced or sliced
• fresh corn kernels, either grilled or microwaved and sliced off cob
• one punnet cherry tomatoes, halved
• one small bag baby rocket or spinach leaves
• salt and pepper
• caramelised balsamic vinegar

what to do

• Begin by getting a pot of salted water ready to boil the pasta. Add the pasta as soon as it comes to the boil and prepare the vegetables in the meantime. Drain the pasta when it’s cooked and drizzle with some olive oil to prevent a gluggy sticky mess while you finish the vegetables.
• Heat some olive oil in a large fry pan on a high heat, add the onion and gently saute just until it begins to soften.
• Add the mushrooms and fry for about five minutes or so, until mushrooms have softened and begin to caramelise.
• Next add the zucchini and fry for a few minutes until almost cooked through.
• Add the {pre-cooked} corn kernels and cherry tomatoes to the fry pan, and gently mix everything through. Season with some salt and pepper, then transfer to a large salad bowl and add the cooked pasta.
• Mix the baby rocket or spinach leaves through the pasta and vegetables, drizzle with a little more olive oil if needed, and finish with a zigzag of caramelised balsamic just before serving.