Pasta Primavera
Serves 5-6
Here is what you need:
1 pound dry pasta, use any you like except for really small pasta*
4 squash, can be zucchini or yellow or a combo of both.
3 carrots
1 onion
2 bell peppers, yellow, orange or red
12-15 cherry or grape tomatoes
1 TBS dry Italian herbs, I used herbes de Provence
¾ cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
Kosher salt a fresh ground pepper
olive oil
chopped fresh herbs for serving, I used parsley but basil would be good
crushed red pepper flakes for serving, optional
*Types of pasta I would recommend: penne (that's what I used), Rigatoni, Fusilli (corkscrew), Farfalle (bow tie)
Here is what you need to do.
Preheat your oven to 450.
Prep your vegetables. Thinly slice the squash, carrots (peeled), onion and bell peppers. Place them on a rimmed baking sheet. Have a second sheet beside the one with the vegetables.
Slice the tomatoes in half and set aside. They will not be roasted.
Coat the vegetables with olive oil, about ¼ cup in all then season with salt, pepper and the dried herbs. Using your hands, toss the vegetables to get them well coated with oil and seasoning. Transfer half the vegetables to the other baking sheet. Spread veggies on the sheets to roast in a single layer.
Slide into the oven and bake for 20 minutes, tossing around halfway through.
Cook the pasta according to package directions, minus a minute or maybe two. You want the pasta al dente. Also don’t forget to salt the water after it starts boiling.
Before you drain the pasta, get a cup of the pasta water and set aside then drain it.
In a large bowl or the pasta cooking pot, toss the pasta with the vegetables. Then add the tomatoes and some of the reserved pasta water. Taste the dish and season with salt and pepper if needed. Add in the Parmesan and toss. Serve with a topping of Parmesan and fresh parsley.
Let’s Eat!!