Roasted Vegetable Pasta

I remember growing up with cheese pimiento sandwiches for merienda. Maybe that's the reason why I love the smell - and taste - of bell peppers or capsicum. They also come in different colors - red, green, orange and yellow so they make a dish really attractive.

Whenever I would read about menu planning, one thing they emphasize is building your meal around colorful vegetables and fruits and I would normally ignore this. But I could see a big difference when I made this dish. When I saw how all the vegetables looked in the roasting pan, I couldn't wait to eat. They especially looked appetizing after roasting because the colors were brighter.

This is another recipe from The Essential EatingWell Cookbook. So far, all the recipes I've tried were very good. I had the leftovers for lunch the next day and they were as delicious. You can add almost any kind of vegetables. I had some extra mushrooms from the mushroom soup, so they went to this dish as well.

1 medium zuchinni, diced
1 red or yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
12 ounces whole-wheat pasta
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1. Preheat oven to 450F. Put a large pot of lightly salted water on to boil. (I try to minimize our salt intake, so I never put salt when cooking pasta.)
2. Toss zucchini, bell pepper and onion with 1 tablespoon oil in a large roasting pan or a large baking sheet with sides. Season with salt and pepper. Roast the vegetables, stirring every 5 minutes, until tender and browned, 10 - 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, basil, garlic and the remaining1 tablespoon olive oil in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Cook pasta until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and transfer to the bowl with the tomatoes. Add the roasted vegetables and toss well. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve, passing feta cheese separately.

Makes 6 servings, about 1-1/2 cups each.

Per serving: 288 calories; 7 g fat (2 g sat, 4 g mono); 3 mg cholesterol; 49 g carbohydrates; 11 g protein; 9 g fiber; 177 g sodium.