Pasta Primavera

Here is another good recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis. This one leaves a lot of room for interpretation. Use the pasta of your choice, your favorite vegetables and you can add chicken or leave it vegetarian. I used mostly bell pepper, onion and carrot because my husband isn't a fan of the squash family, but if you are less discriminatory, use the zucchini and summer squash that the recipe calls for. I also found a tri-color penne pasta that was a great fit in this dish.

What You'll Need:
3 carrots, peeled and cut into thin strips
2 medium zucchini or 1 large zucchini, cut into thin strips
2 yellow squash, cut into thin strips
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1/4 cup olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs or herbes de Provence
1 pound farfalle (bowtie pasta)
15 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

How to Make It:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

On a large heavy baking sheet, toss all of the vegetables with the oil, salt, pepper, and dried herbs to coat. Transfer half of the vegetable mixture to another heavy large baking sheet and arrange evenly over the baking sheets. Bake until the carrots are tender and the vegetables begin to brown, stirring after the first 10 minutes, about 20 minutes total.

(I don't think I need to mention how awesome the veggies are in this dish. Those of you have followed this blog for some time, know what a fan I am of roasting vegetables. It adds so much flavor and allows the natural sweetness to come out of the veggies.)

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes, or according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Toss the pasta with the vegetable mixtures in a large bowl to combine. Add a little drizzle of olive oil if you're so inclinded. Toss with the cherry tomatoes and enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season the pasta with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and serve immediately.