Penne With Roast Vegetables and Parmesan Cheese

Oh Pasta, Oh pasta, Oh how I love thee!

If I was asked what was the one food I would take with me to a deserted island was, I would say pasta hands down! I can't even begin to describe how much I love pasta! Pasta with veggies, meat and even fish, whether it is a butter based sauce, or tomato or cheese, or ANYTHING, you will find me all over it.

Since I was young, every time I couldn't find anything to eat, my mind would automatically wander towards the pantry that was full of instant pasta or noodles. Now that my meals consist of a little more planning, I can put a few more ingredients in my recipe and make something extra special. Heck if my husband enjoyed pasta even a tiny little bit more that he currently does, I think my kitchen would see a lot more pasta and a lot less of anything else. 


This particular dish is more of an idea than a recipe. I just threw in all the different kinds of veggies that I had on hand into the roasting plate, tossing it with some salt, pepper, olive oil and italian seasoning.Then I roasted the veggies letting them release their lovely flavours and tossed it together with the boiled paste, sauce and cheeses before baking. Its that simple! If any of you have never tried roasting sliced, seasoned veggies, give them a try. I guarantee you will fall head over heels for this technique. Not only is this easier that standing in front of the stove stirring and stirring, but the depth of flavour that issues from the roasting is out of this world!

                                                   Look who's stealing my veggies!!

                                                      Assembling the dish

Ingredients
3 cups uncooked pasta
water to cover them 
1/2 green pepper sliced
1/2 orange pepper sliced
1 large zucchini sliced
1/4 broccolli, separated
1/4 cauliflower separated
1 medium onion sliced
1 clove garlic minced
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
21/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

Method
1) Preheat oven to 375 Fahrenheit
2) In a large pot, bring the water to a boil and add the pasta, cooking it as per pakage instructions or to your liking.
3) Put the sliced veggies on a roasting platter, rub with olive oil, salt, pepper and italian seasoning and roast for 15 minutes.
4) In a baking dish, mix in the pasta, sauce, veggies and half the cheese.
5) Bake for 10 minutes at 350.
6) Serve with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese.


Happy Cooking!