At this point, we realize I love to roast. Just throw things in the oven at 400 degrees and come back in 20 mins.

I don’t eat pasta much, but when I do I always do a lot of veggies and pesto sauce.I had leftover artichokes from my Mediterranean Chicken so I roasted a few other veggies to go with it: zucchini, peppers, mushrooms.

My friend lives in Italy and while she was home visiting she gave me real Italian pasta! It wasn’t whole wheat, which usually would freak me out, but this stuff was SO good, it was worth it! Made with Semolina flour, the pasta wasn’t thin… I can’t think of the word, not doughy, but full of flavor?

My dad and bro aren’t big fans of vegetarian dishes, but they thought this was pretty filling!

INGREDIENTS  (for four)

olive oil, sea salt, pepper, Italian seasoning for roasting

8 baby artichokes

2 zucchini

2 red peppers

1 cup mushrooms

1/2 cup grapes

1 box pasta (whole wheat rotini or ziti… unless you got yours from Italy like me!)

3/4 cup pesto sauce

mozzarella cheese (however much you want, I think we used a cup)

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

DIRECTIONS

Boil pasta according to package instructions. Prep other ingredients while cooking. Set aside but keep warm.

Preheat oven to 420.

Drizzle all veggies: artichokes, zucchini, peppers, mushrooms- with olive oil, pepper, sea salt, seasonings.

You’ll set a timer for 20 mins and progressively roast everything:

20 mins: artichokes

15 mins: peppers and zucchinis

10 mins: mushrooms

5 mins: grapes

When everything is done, toss pasta with pesto sauce, balsamic, and cheese. Then add in veggies and mix up.

Makes for a great, healthy pasta!