Roasted Veggie Pepperoni Pasta

This was definitely one of those... spur of the moment dinners.

I can't, well I try to avoid serving something for dinner that *gasp* doesn't have any meat. My boyfriend and our roommate well, if there isn't meat they are back in the kitchen in less than the usual time after we've finished dinner. (Yes... I'm saying they are grazers ;-))

I got home from a long day at school and had pasta on the mind. Perfect! A quick and easy dinner... but wait, it's the end of the week and we're running low on any meat besides chicken.. but wait! There is still some pepperoni in the fridge from our homemade pizzas a few nights earlier.. great! But it still needed something else... and to satisfy the boys without satisfying the cook... well that would just be wrong! What better way to satisfy the cook (*cough* me**) than to load the pasta with veggies!!

I decided to try a new way of cooking frozen vegetables rather than the typical steaming method.. and that's where the dish was born.

Ingredients
Your choice of pasta (I used gluten free angel hair)
Pasta sauce (whatever you have on hand is fine)
Mixed frozen vegetables (or if you aren't pressed for time use fresh!)
Pepperoni slices
Olive Oil
Seasonings of choice

*I realize these are all store-bought ingredients but hey... give it a shot!*


To Prepare
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Begin to boil water for pasta and cook as directed. Line a cookie sheet with foil, place all veggies on the sheet and lightly cover with olive oil and whatever spices you like (garlic powder, salt, pepper, italian seasoning - just some ideas). Place in oven and let the veggies roast until they start to brown (about 15 minutes). Meanwhile, heat up your pasta sauce in a medium saucepan (I always like to throw in extra seasoning just for good measure). Continue to check on veggies until they seem done, then turn oven off and remove the veggies from the oven. When the pasta has just a few minutes left to cook, add the pepperoni slices to the veggies and put back in the oven to warm. Drain the pasta and plate with sauce. Take the veggies and pepperoni out of the oven and lay ever so beautifully on top of your pasta. Grate some fresh parmesan (optional) and you are ready to eat!

This dish is simple yet pleasing to the eye. The slight spice of the pepperoni mixed with the roasted veggies transform your typical spaghetti night into one that your guests will be asking for weekly! Use different veggies, fresh or frozen, as the seasons allow and let your mind wander with spice!

As always, most importantly... enjoy!