There are some free-spirited, spontaneous cooks who don’t use recipes. They nonchalantly throw everything from their produce drawer into whatever baking dish happens to be clean, add a pinch of this and a dash of that, and bake everything at a randomly selected temperature until it looks done. However, I am the type-A opposite of these laid-back experimenters (as anyone who has perused this blog or knows me personally can attest). My approach is to start with a recipe, carefully analyze any substitutions, and scrupulously measure ingredients. So when I was faced with a produce drawer full of vegetables that had to be eaten before our upcoming vacation, I used the Mixed Roasted Vegetables and Pasta recipe from the Betty Crocker cookbook as a template.
Since my vegetables were so fresh and flavorful in their own right, I didn’t use any seasoning besides a bit of salt and pepper and fresh basil. However, the original recipe calls for two teaspoons of Italian seasoning if you are so inclined. If needed, feel free to alter the mix of vegetables based on what you have on hand. The original recipe calls for zucchini and bell peppers, but since I didn’t have zucchini, I used an entire giant onion, and I substituted Italian peppers in lieu of the bell peppers. If you can’t find cavatappi pasta (spiral shaped tubes), you can use another tube-shaped pasta, such as penne, ziti, or rigatoni.
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 3 Italian peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces (2 bell peppers can be substituted)
- Large onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 8 ounces white mushrooms, quartered
- 2 cups dry cavatappi pasta (penne, ziti, or rigatoni can be substituted)
- 2 large tomatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Combine the olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and mix well. Place the Italian peppers, onion, and mushrooms in a greased 9 x 13 baking dish, drizzle with olive oil mixture, and toss until vegetables are thoroughly coated.
Bake uncovered for 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to package directions and drain.
Add pasta and tomatoes to the roasted vegetables and toss. Sprinkle with cheese and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until cheese is browned and vegetables are tender.
Sprinkle with basil before serving.
This was so delicious that we dug right in, and I forgot to take a picture of the finished product until halfway through dinner.