Spring Challenge Day 16- Roasted Vegetable Pasta

We have made it half way through the month! How do you feel? Have you been following Christina Pirello’s recipes like me or have you chosen another wonderful chef? Or maybe you have just added a new ingredient or some extra effort to your cooking? Please share your ideas and opinions as well as photo’s on this blog. I’m so glad you have joined in on the Spring challenge . Off we go to enjoy more new recipes and ideas! Yum!

Roasted Vegetable Pasta

1 to 2 Cloves fresh garlic, thinly sliced

1 Red onion, cut into 1/4 -inch dice

1 Carrot, cut into 1/4 -inch dice

1 Cup 1/4-inch diced butternut squash

1 Cup 1/4-inch diced sweet potato

Grated zest of 1 lemon

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Sea salt

Mirin

10 to 12 oil-cured black olives, pitted and minced

8 Ounces penne pasta

Juice of 1/2 lemon

2 to 3 Sprigs fresh basil, leaves removed and finely minced

Fruity olive oil, for drizzling

Preheat oven to  375′

Place the garlic, onion, carrot, squash and sweet potato in a mixing bowl. Stir in the lemon zest, a generous drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, a light sprinkle of salt and a light drizzle of mirin. Mix well to coat the vegetables. Transfer to a shallow baking dish, avoiding a lot of overlap. Bake, covered , for 45 minutes, then remove cover, add the olives and bake until vegetables are lightly browned, about 15 minutes more.

When the vegetables are nearly ready, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook penne al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain well, but do not rinse. Transfer to a mixing bowl.

Remove vegetables from the oven and gently stir in the lemon juice. Spoon the vegetables into the pasta and mix well. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve garnished with basil and a drizzle of fruity olive oil.

–I made this dish for 12 people. I added a  little crumbled tofu that I had leftover. It was so wonderful, everyone loved it!

This recipe is printed with permission from Christina Pirello