Pasta with Roasted Veggies

I had a request for a Meatless Monday recipe so here it is! Though we are carnivores, I like to do meatless meals every so often. I'm not great at working them in once a week but try to do so once every 2 weeks or so. It's usually something Italian like this pasta or Eggplant Parmesan so please share some other ideas in the comments. This recipe is a different twist on pasta primavera. I think the traditional method is to saute the veggies but to me that just makes them boring and mushy. Roasting them in the oven makes them really tasty though - especially the mushrooms. This is a dish I make a lot but I usually bake it all together at the end with mozzarella cheese on top. You can definitely do that with this recipe - I just could not because our oven is broken right now. This was good as-is though and definitely Chris-approved.

Time: 1 hour
Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 small bell pepper (red, orange or yellow are best for this)
• 8 mushrooms
• 1 small yellow squash
• 2-3 cups marinara sauce (store bought or make your own)
• 3/4 of a lb of pasta - penne or rigatoni
• lots of grated parmesan or romano cheese
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 1 tsp each salt and pepper
• 2 TBSP chopped fresh parsley

Prep

1. Preheat your oven to 450.
2. Start your marinara sauce if you're making your own and set a large pot of water to boil for your pasta.
3. Slice your bell pepper into 1/2 inch pieces.
   

4. Cut your mushrooms into quarters.
   

5. Cut your squash in half lengthwise, then cut 1/2 inch slices of each half.
   

6. Line a baking sheet with foil and add all of your veggies.
7. Drizzle the 2 TBSP olive oil on top and season with 1 tsp salt and pepper, 1 tsp dried oregano and 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes. Toss this all together with your hands and put in the oven.

Cook

1. Cook veggies for 10 minutes or so, then use a spatula to toss them around.
2. Cook for another 10 minutes, then do the toss and cook once or twice more. The veggies should be soft and browned on the edges.
   
   
   
3. After your last toss (when the veggies are almost done), salt your boiling pasta water with 2 TBSP of salt and add your pasta.
   
4. Cook pasta for 10 minutes or so - check the package and cook for the lowest amount of time it suggests. Before you drain your pasta, use a small cup to scoop out 1/2 cup or so of the pasta water and set aside.
   
5. When your pasta is ready, drain it and add it to your sauce.
   
6. Add your roasted veggies and toss it altogether. You want to keep the pan on the heat at this point and cook it all together for 5 minutes or so. Add a little of the pasta water to help it come together.
   
7. Toss in 1/4 cup or so of grated parmesan or romano and stir together.

8. If you like, top the whole pan of pasta with some grated mozzarella at this point and put back in the 450 oven for 20 minutes or until the cheese is browned.
   
9. Top pasta servings with more grated cheese and some chopped, fresh parsley.