Roasted Vegetable Pasta
Picnic-lovers: You've gotta try this one. Depending on your choice of vegetables, it's a combination barbecue and summer afternoon in Northern Italy. And it's vegan! I like to cook my pasta all the way to soft (past “al dente”) for this pasta salad.
INGREDIENTS | SERVES 12
- 1 recipe Roasted Vegetables or Grilled Vegetable Antipasto cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 box (1 pound) good quality fusilli, penne, or other small pasta shape, cooked according to package directions (okay, a little softer than the box says).
- 2 tablespoons top-quality extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- Pinch of sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup roughly chopped Italian parsley
Place roasted vegetables in a bowl, and allow them to come to room temperature.
Add the cooked pasta, olive oil, vinegar, and sugar. Toss to coat.
Marinate 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; toss with parsley. Pack into picnic basket.
Freezing Baked Pastas
Baked pastas, such as cannelloni and lasagna, freeze very well. Portion them into airtight zipper plastic bags for convenience. Pastas with a lot of watery vegetables in them, such as carrots or zucchini, may lose some of their original texture, but will be fine to eat. Generally, the more rich items there are in the dish, such as cheese or cream, the better they will hold up in the freezer.
