This simple pasta is perfect for chilly evenings. Roasting vegetables not only fills your kitchen with fantastic smells, but helps keep you warm, too! This recipe from Dreena Burton is great for multitasking: You can easily tackle a project or two around the house (ahem, smooching) while the veggies roast, and then sit down to a satisfying supper. The red tomatoes make a nice, subtle allusion to a certain holiday's theme colors. This pasta might be the perfect dish to make for that holiday, since you can savor it with your sweetie without taking up too much of your precious canoodling time.
Serves 4
What You Need:
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 cups fresh tomatoes, sliced to 1/2-inch thickness
1 large bulb fennel, stalks and core removed, quartered and thinly sliced
2 zucchini, sliced
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3/4 to 1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 to 3/4 pound dried pasta
3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
2 tablespoons capers
1/2 cup fresh basil, shredded
What You Do:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, toss together 2 tablespoons olive oil, tomatoes, fennel, zucchini, garlic, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and oregano. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, tossing once or twice during cooking, until tomatoes are soft and the fennel has slightly caramelized. Remove from oven.
2. While vegetables are roasting, prepare pasta according to package directions. When pasta is almost done, remove 1/2 cup of the pasta water and reserve. Drain cooked pasta.
3. Toss pasta with the roasted vegetables, adding a few tablespoons of the reserved cooking water if necessary. Add the pine nuts, capers, fresh basil, and remaining olive oil. Taste for seasoning, adding the extra salt and pepper if desired. Serve immediately.
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