This roasted summer veggie penne with chickpeas is a perfect end-of-summer lunch, for when fresh vegetables are still in season but comfort food is calling. The dish combines pasta with roasted vegetables for a hearty, colorful plate that works well on its own or paired with a bigger meal.

The recipe comes from Jane Goodall’s cookbook #EatMeatLess: Good For Animals, the Earth and All. It starts with fennel, squash, onion, and garlic roasted until tender and lightly browned. Roasting brings out sweetness and a slight anise flavor from the fennel. While the vegetables cook, the penne pasta boils until al dente. Tomatoes, olives, and chickpeas are added for depth, protein, and texture. Basil and fennel fronds give the dish freshness, while nutritional yeast can be sprinkled on top for a hint of savory flavor.

The pasta and vegetables are tossed together with olive oil to bring everything together. Each bowl delivers whole-grain comfort balanced with the brightness of summer produce. Enjoy it warm for lunch or dinner, a simple way to savor the last of the season’s harvest.

Whip up this roasted summer veggie penne

Celebrate the best of summer produce with this roasted veggie penne, then keep making it all year with whatever’s in season. It’s pasta that never goes out of style.

roasted summer veggie penne with chickpeas with yellow squash, garlic, and olives

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Servings

Ingredients

1 fennel bulb cut into ½-inch (12-mm) pieces, fronds reserved
1 large yellow squash quartered lengthwise and sliced crosswise
1 red onion chopped
4 cloves garlic halved
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil (2 fl oz/60 ml)
2 sprigs fresh thyme
sea salt
½ lb penne (225 g)
2 large Roma tomatoes chopped
¼ cup Kalamata olives (1¼ oz/35 g), pitted and chopped
1 can chickpeas (15 oz/425 g), drained and rinsed
½ cup fresh basil leaves (1 oz/30 g), chopped
nutritional yeast optional

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Have ready 2 rimmed baking sheets.
On 1 baking sheet, combine the chopped fennel, squash, onion, and garlic. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil and toss to coat. Add the thyme and ½ teaspoon salt and toss again. Transfer half of the mixture to the second baking sheet. Roast both pans for 15 minutes, then stir the vegetables. Reverse the position of the pans in the oven and roast until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned, about 15 minutes more. Cool on racks.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the penne and cook until al dente according to package instructions; drain. Chop enough of the reserved fennel fronds to measure about ½ cup (3/4 oz/20 g).
In the empty pasta pot, combine the penne, roasted vegetables, tomatoes, olives, chickpeas, basil, fennel fronds, and the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Toss to mix.
Divide the pasta and vegetables among bowls and serve right away, sprinkled with nutritional yeast, if desired.

Republished with permission from #EatMeatLess: Good For Animals, the Earth and All by Jane Goodall of the Jane Goodall Institute. Published by Weldon Owen, RRP £25. 2025.

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