Once upon a time I was a purist — I’d have simply mixed roasted vegetables and pasta together with some oil and herbal seasoning and left it at that. Years of experiments and experience led me to realize making the vegetables part of a sauce does a better job of integrating the whole shebang. So maybe you could say my recipe is more like a really chunky marinara.
I’ve indicated linguini below, but you can use whatever pasta you prefer.
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 medium onion, halved and sliced thinly into 1/2″ circles
2 medium zucchini or yellow squash (two cups), halved and cut into 1/4″slices
1 small eggplant (about three cups), cut into 1/2″ cubes
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper (jalapeño) or cayenne
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon oregano
4 tomatoes (canned plum without the puree), chopped
1/2 cup tomato puree
1/3 to 1/2 cup chicken broth (unsalted)
1 teaspoon balsamic or red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
salt and freshly ground pepper
freshly grated Romano cheese
Preheat oven to 400°F. In a large bowl toss together oil, vegetables, garlic, hot pepper, and herbs. Pour onto a foil-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until vegetables are browned but not soggy. Meanwhile, heat tomatoes, puree, broth, vinegar, and sugar. Stir in roasted vegetables. Add salt and pepper according to taste. Prepare linguini and drain. Toss linguini in large bowl with vegetables. Sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons grated cheese on top of each serving. (If desired, top with fresh, chopped herbs such as basil, oregano, and parsley.)
Try some of my other Healthy New Year Recipes.
