Balsamic roasted vegetables with whole wheat penne and fresh mozzarella

Well that's a mouthful of a title! This is an Allison F. Boothe original creation, and was not only approved of, but actually completely devoured in food lust by Dustin L. Boothe. I will now explain the process of creation:

Preheat oven to 425

Ingredients:
Whatever vegetables you have. I used:
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 large red bell pepper
1 very large zucchini (corgette)
1/2 red onion
1 sweet onion

balsamic vinaigrette
salt and pepper
crushed oregano
1.5 TB EVOO
2 cups dry whole wheat penne

approx 4 oz fresh mozzarella
12ish basil leaves

love

The corgette (I am using that term because it is the European way, and I'm feeling awesome) was washed, cut in fourths lengthwise, de-pulped (is that a word?), and then chopped in numerous small pieces. I sliced the onions in wedges. Red bell pepper (or shall we say capsicum? eh! yes. Learning something new every day) was washed, de-seeded and de-pulped (its a word now), cut in small, flat sticks and then cut in half, and I cherry tomatoes left whole.

I put it all, except the CORGETTE on a jellyroll pan, filling the whole thing, and doused them fairly liberally with balsamic vinaigrette, sea salt, shaved pepper, oregano, and 1.5 TB EVOO. Remembering my earlier self-imposed course on proper veggie roasting, found here, I made sure the veggies were not overcrowded for even browning. I then popped the pan in the oven on the middle rack since it was super hot, and I wanted the veggies to get soft AND brown.  I put the dainty corgette morsels in a bowl and put salt on them and doused them with balsamic. They got mad. I put salt on them because they are watery, and salt draws out the water which will give them a good non-ooey gooey texture when done roasting. Now, I should have left the cherry tomatoes out to for a bit with the corgette because they are watery too, but I wanted to see what would happen. It worked out.

Salted water in pot for penne, when it was boiling I added 2 cups dry whole wheat penne (lower glycemic index and more fiber than enriched pasta), let it boil again, and cooked to al dente, approx 12 mins. (for those who are truly students of the kitchen, like me, you may be wondering what EXACTLY does al dente mean and how do I achieve it? You will learn here). Wheat pasta takes longer to cook. I drained in colander, than rinsed with cold water so the pasta wouldn't stick. Set it aside.

I was checking my roasting veggies like a hawk. After 15 mins I added the corgette. I turned them every 15 mins, stirring. When they were the right consistency (soft, but not ooey gooey, and nicely browned on tops and sides), after about 35 mins, I took em out and dumped them all in with my cooked pasta in a mixing bowl. The best part came last: fresh mozzarella. How I love fresh mozzarella. Everything tastes so much better with it! Including pancakes. Try it befor you doubt. I chopped about 3 oz of it in small cubes, added it to the hot veggie-pasta deliciousness, and topped it off with about 12 leaves of fresh basil, chopped. MAGNIFICO!

mmmm, yum. Roasted goodness.

And I did top it off with love. Good old fresh love, for my delicious husband, who was slaving away in the library pit to which he is wont to go, and be... constantly... I ran through the rain carrying a pouch of this deliciousness, in an air-tight container, along with some of the granola I made earlier and some yogurt for dessert. To health! And love! And all good things. (clearly, there is something in this dish that makes one happy. Try it out.)