The school year has begun, and with me working with the marching band after school, we've been too busy for me to come up with new recipes! However, we had a lot of veggies in the fridge and I wanted to use them all up. This was inspired by something I saw on a cooking show with someone whose name rhymes with Machael May.
Clean-out-the-Crisper Vegetable Pasta ($0.48 per serving, $2.88 total cost)
1 pound whole wheat penne ($0.88)
1 medium zucchini (all veggies free from our CSA)
1 medium yellow squash
1 medium bell pepper
1 red onion
3/4 cup flaxseed meal ($1.00)
3 branches fresh basil (all herbs grown in our garden)
2 branches flat-leaf parsley
2 branches mint leaves
3 tbsp. minced garlic
3/4 cup grated cheese ($0.50)
1 cup ricotta cheese ($0.50)
nutmeg
black pepper
salt
balsamic vinegar
olive oil
1. Cut all vegetables into a 1-inch dice. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place vegetables on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and grated cheese. Roast 15-20 minutes in oven.
3. Cook penne in salted water according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup cooking water.
4. Place flaxseed meal, herbs and garlic in food processor. Pulse while drizzling in 1/4-1/3 cup olive oil. Put herb mixture in a large bowl and stir in about 1/4-1/3 cup grated cheese.
5. In a separate bowl, mix ricotta with nutmeg and black pepper to taste. Set aside.
6. Stir reserved cooking water into herb/cheese mixture. Toss together roasted veggies and cooked penne with herb sauce. Stir ricotta into pasta and serve immediately.
Makes 6 servings.
The Verdict
Jim and I both went nuts over this. Josh said he didn't like it, ate all the veggies and left the pasta behind?!? Julia enjoyed it, but as of yet we've not found a food she doesn't like. When I make it again I will try different veggies and use more garlic and cheese... the flavor was subtler than I expected.
