This recipe couldn’t be easier – the vegetables are roasted together then tossed with cooked pasta right in the roasting pan. And though I think of it mostly as a summer dish when our garden is overflowing with sweet sungolds, I often turn to this technique mid-winter, when I’m craving the tastes of summer. It’s astounding what roasting does for a lack-luster, off-season tomato. Try it next December.
Consider adding other vegetables you have on hand such as summer squash, eggplant or bell pepper. You can omit the onions if you like, but don’t forgo the garlic—just a little bit add loads of flavor. During the last few minutes of roasting you could also throw in a few olives or some cooked cannellini beans. We like to use orzo because it soaks up all the pan juices and becomes creamy, almost risotto-like in consistency, but other pastas work nicely too. Arugula and basil are equally wonderful, so use what you have—even both.