Savoring Summer {Week 4 ~ Roasted Sausage & Vegetable Pasta}

I'd like to say that this is a favorite with everyone in our house, but that isn't the truth.

The truth is that it is a Favorite (with a capital F!) with three of us. It is a dish that I have made many times since I first discovered it on Pleasant View Schoolhouse. It is easy to prepare, loaded with flavor, versatile (you can use any veggies you have)...dee-lish-ous! 

We girls raved about it, looked forward to it, yada, yada, yada...until last summer when I noticed that Ron seemed less than enthusiastic when I served it (yet again). 

"Don't you like this?" I queried. 

His reply? "It's something to eat." 

Around the table, jaws hung open. We were stunned. "Something to eat" was not a rave review. 

Knowing how much the rest of us love it, Ron agrees to eat it now and then, as long as his portion is heavy on the sausage. But it is now known in these parts as Something To Eat.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

You can use any vegetables you have. Fresh out of the garden is good, but all of these were from the market. This time I used baby carrots, yellow squash, zucchini, mushrooms, red onion, red pepper, and green beans. I really like eggplant, but I didn't have any in my fridge. Asparagus is good too.

Trim the beans, slice the carrots lengthwise, and cut everything else into bite-size chunks. Toss in 1/4 cup of olive oil and 1/3 cup Italian seasoning (I don't measure...I just shake it on until it looks right to me). Sprinkle with coarse salt. 

Place sausages on a raised pan. (I crumple up some aluminum foil in the bottom of a square baking dish.) 

Put both dishes (the one with your prepared vegetables and the one with the sausages) into the hot oven, and roast for 30 to 35 minutes. 

In the meantime, cook a one-pound box of the pasta of your choice according to the package directions; drain. Reserve 1/3 cup of cooking water. (Oops...I forgot. But it was okay.) This time, I used Barilla Plus bow tie pasta, but I have also used rotini or penne. You might also decrease the amount of pasta if you'd like to limit carbs. 

After roasting, cut sausages into bite-sized pieces. Then toss it all together...veggies, sausage, pasta...in a large bowl. 

You might want to add a little Parmesan cheese. 

Eat up! (And prepare to have leftovers; this makes a lot!)

  ROASTED VEGETABLE & SAUSAGE PASTA
("Something To Eat")

Original recipe ~here~


1 package mild Italian sausage
veggies galore, as you please
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon coarse salt
1 lb. cooked pasta
1/3 cup cooking water

***

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Chop veggies and spread in a large baking dish or pan.
Toss with olive oil and Italian seasoning; sprinkle with salt.

Place sausage in pan with a raised rack.

Roast veggies and sausage in very hot oven for 30-35 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; drain.

Toss pasta with roasted vegetables, roasted sausage which has been cut into bite-sized pieces, and 1/3 cup cooking water. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

If you were making this dish, what veggies would you add?

Last year...

Fruit on Tuesday Week 4: Raspberry Sauce 

Two years ago...

Salad on Tuesday Week 4: Chicken Salad Deluxe