Mixed Roasted Vegetables and Pasta

First things first: this week’s menu is posted.

As much as I love pasta dishes, I always feel like I am in a food coma at the end of the meal. Pasta is usually so heavy, but this meal feels incredibly light. It actually feels healthy. The vegetables are really a nice change from the red sauces and olive oil based sauces I normally make.

Mixed Roasted Vegetables and Pasta {from Betty Crocker Cookbook: Bridal Edition}

Ingredients:

1 medium green bell pepper
1 medium red bell pepper
1 medium onion
2 medium zucchini
8 oz whole mushrooms
1/3 cup chopped basil
3 tbs olive oil
2 tbs red wine vinegar
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups pasta {I used bow tie}
2 medium tomatoes
2 cups mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Heat oven to 450 degrees.
Cut both bell peppers and zucchini into 1 inch pieces. Cut onion into 8 wedges and separate. Cut mushrooms in halves.
In a 3 qt casserole dish, place bell peppers, onions, zucchini, and mushrooms. Sprinkle evenly with basil.
In a small bowl, mix oil, vinegar, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper; drizzle evenly over vegetables. Bake uncovered 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook and drain pasta according to the directions on the box. Seed tomatoes and cut into 2 inch pieces.
Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Add tomatoes and pasta to vegetable mixture; toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered for about 20 minutes.

Grade: A

Comments: This is the perfect dinner, and it will leave you with a lot of leftovers. We were pleasantly surprised at how flavorful it was. The vegetables turned out perfectly. If you wanted to add some protein chicken or tofu would work great, but the dish definitely doesn’t need it.