Roasted Broccoli & Tomato Pasta

I am a great lover of carbs…sigh lovely carbs!  

I have friends and you probably do too, that are doing the low carb thing; and, well ya know that they’ve already blown it with Thanksgiving, and what about Christmas?  If my friends happen to be reading this...sorry, but I'm just sayin'!

While I get that eating carbs in the form of cookies and chocolate maybe isn’t a good thing, I just don’t get how eating things like nutrient dense apples, bananas, and sweet potatoes is a bad thing!

This is my opinion, but I think an educated one; that a diet of mostly fresh, whole foods with lots of fruits and veggies will keep us healthy and lean (probably not model skinny, but a healthy weight).  

Now I’m no monk when it comes to food.   Like I said, I love carbs, carbs are lovely, especially bread and pasta…sigh, but I feel that by compensating with eating tons of fresh veggies with my beloved carbs that things are even Steven.

Roasted Broccoli & Tomatoes Pasta is an example of my food philosophy.  It’s a simple dish that goes together super quick, it's almost half veggies to half pasta.

Roasting the broccoli and tomatoes in heart healthy olive oil gives the dish really good flavor; serve it up with a salad and you can go ahead and eat a big ol’ bowl of this veggie filled pasta without any remorse!  Boo Ya!

Here’s what you do.

Add some broccoli that has been cut into bite sized pieces, and some halved grape or cherry tomatoes; drizzle over 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil (it may seem like a lot of oil, but it is basically the pasta sauce) and season with Herbs de Provence, salt & pepper.

Roast the veggies in a 400 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until the broccoli is tender a slightly caramelized.

Pasta water should be really salty, I add a nice handful of salt to boiling water.

Linguini is my favorite pasta, I add it to the boiling water and set a timer for 7 minutes, it actually takes about 9 minutes of cooking time for it to be al dente, but don't worry the pasta will be cooked further.

Before draining the pasta, remove 1 cup of the water.

Add the pasta back to the pot along with the roasted veggies and all of that olive oil that the veggies cooked in.  

If you like, you could even add some cut up left over chicken or turkey at this point as well.

Season with a little salt and pepper.

A couple of pinches of crushed chili is nice.

Add about 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water, cook and stir over medium-high heat until the pasta is cooked to your liking; add the remaining pasta water if needed.

Serve with some grated Parmesan cheese and enjoy!

ROASTED BROCCOLI & TOMATO PASTA

Serves 4

6             cups       Broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces (about 1 bunch)

2              cups       Grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

¼             cup        Extra virgin olive oil

1               tsp.       Herbs de Provence or Italian seasoning

                            Salt & pepper to taste

¾             lb.          Pasta, such as linguini or penne, a box is usually one pound

2              pinches   Crushed red chili pepper

1              cup         Reserved pasta water

   1.       Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

   2.       Lay the broccoli and tomatoes in a shallow baking dish or sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, season with Herbs de Provence (or Italian seasoning), a little salt & pepper and toss to coat.  Roast in the hot oven for 20 to 25 minutes; until the broccoli is tender and slightly caramelized.

   3.       Meanwhile, cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than the package directions state.  Drain the cooked pasta, being sure to first reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.

   4.       Add the drained pasta back to the pot it was cooked in; add the roasted vegetables along with all of the olive oil that they cooked in, as well as the chili pepper, salt & pepper to taste, and about ½ cup of the reserved pasta water.  Cook while stirring over medium-high until the pasta is completely cooked, add the remaining pasta water if needed. 

   5.       Serve with grated parmesan.

You may also like:

Rigatoni with Eggplant & Ricotta

Apricot & Almond Quinoa Salad

Lighten-Up Shrimp Scampi Pasta

Butternut Squash Farro with Tahini

ROASTED BRUSSEL SPROUTS & WALNUTS

Brussel sprouts are one of those veggies that ya either love, or despise; there’s not a lot of middle ground.  My baby brother, who hates most everything, loves brussel sprouts; and my husband who likes most everything, hates them!

I’m in the brussel sprouts lovers camp and because of the brussel sprouts divide in my home I mostly only eat them if I pick up a small container at the prepared foods counter.

Now if you’ve only had boiled brussel sprouts, I can understand why you may not like them, they’re a little blandsville.  

When I make brussel sprouts I prefer to roast them.  If you’ve been reading my blog for any amount of time you know that my favorite method of cooking vegetables is roasting.  Roasting just intensifies that brussel sprout flavor, and gets them all nice and caramelized, and yummy!

Because the roasting of the brussel sprouts does impart so much flavor I keep the recipe super simple, just some shallots which get sweet as they roast, fresh thyme, walnuts, a drizzle of walnut oil and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

The beauty of this recipe is that Roasted Brussel Sprouts & Walnuts can be served hot from the oven; or at room temperature, which saves valuable cooking space for holiday cooking.  When I eat these hot I like them just the way I stated above, but if I eat them a room temperature I like them with just a teeny bit of balsamic glaze; either way I might serve the balsamic glaze on the side and let my guests decide for themselves.

Just beware that when you make Roasted Brussel Sprouts & Walnuts, there will be a lot of “oohing” and “aahing” going on from the brussel sprouts lovers camp, and the haters camp will think that think the lovers have lost their minds…and they will lose their minds over these, they’re that good!

Here’s what you do.

Brussel Sprouts; cleaned and trimmed! 

Cut any large brussel sprouts in half.

Add the shallot, fresh thyme, salt, pepper, and a good amount of olive oil.

 

Toss them with the tools that the Good Lord gave ya.

Lay the brussel sprouts in a single layer, but closely touching.  This will keep the brussel sprouts from getting too dark before they're cooked in the center.

Roast for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes give the brussel sprouts a stir, and them snuggle them up next to each other and sprinkle the walnuts over the top; roast for another 5 minutes.

While the sprouts and nuts are good and hot, drizzle a couple of tablespoons of walnut oil over the top, and toss to coat.  

The walnut oil is really flavorful but a little pricey, and doesn't keep as long as many other oils, so if you don't want to invest in it just use good olive oil instead.  

But if you've got the walnut oil, definitely use it!

Give the brussel sprouts a taste you may like them the way they are, or you may want to drizzle a little balsamic glaze over the top (a little goes a long ways); or maybe serve the glaze on the side.

When I tasted my brussel sprouts hot I preferred them without the balsamic glaze, but when I ate them at room temperature, I preferred them with the glaze.

Remove to a serving bowl, if you like add a little Parmesan cheese, and prepare to lose yourself in the yumminess!

ROASTED BRUSSEL SPROUTS & WALNUTS

Serves 4

1 ½           lbs.         Brussel sprouts

1                           Large shallot, thinly sliced

12             sprigs     Fresh thyme or ¾ tsp. dried

¼             tsp.        Salt

¼             tsp.        Pepper

3              Tbsp.      Extra virgin olive oil

½             cup        Walnut halves

2              Tbsp.      Walnut oil (or 2 more Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil)

2              Tbsp.      Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

2              tsp.        Balsamic glaze (optional)

   1.       Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

   2.       Trim the ends and remove the outer leaves of the brussel sprouts; cut any large brussel sprouts in half.

   3.       Put the brussel sprouts into the center of a sheet pan along with the sliced shallot and thyme.  Sprinkle salt, pepper and 3 Tbsp. of olive oil over the top; give it a toss to coat.  Rearrange the brussel sprouts in a single layer, but closely touching.  Bake for 20 minutes.

   4.       After 20 minutes, remove the pan from the oven, stir the brussel sprouts, and sprinkle the walnuts on the top.  Return to the oven for another 5 minutes of roasting.  The brussel sprouts are done when a paring knife is easily inserted into the center.

   5.       Remove from the oven and immediately drizzle the walnut oil over the top, give it a toss and transfer to a serving bowl.  (If there are little ones you may want to pick out any thyme sprigs)

   6.       Drizzle a little balsamic glaze over the top, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese (optional).  

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Walnuts can be served hot from the oven, or at room temperature.

You may also like:

Green Bean and Mushroom casserole

Mushroom Quinoa

Maple Roasted Acorn Squash