Roasted Broccoli and Pasta

Nina from Love, Sweet Love, has created this great blog called, you guessed it, Vindicate The Vegetable. Nina is looking for inspiration to find new, creative, and delicious ways to enjoy vegetables. Well, she came to the right place.

My kids know that my philosophy is that veggies don’t have to taste yucky. They’ve been eating all different vegetables since birth. The days of zucchini steamed into a soggy mess on your plate or brussels sprouts boiled into oblivion are long gone. My dad always laughs that he had never seen children ask for seconds of lima beans or spinach until my kids came along.

Unfortunately, my camera battery died (perfect timing!) and I couldn’t get pictures of my entry, so just try to visualize where I am going with this and play along!

Roasted Broccoli and Pasta

1 head broccoli – cut into florets
2 tbs. olive oil for drizzling
Pinch of salt and pepper

½ lb pasta – preferably rotini or cavatappi – cooked al dente

4 tbs. butter
6 tbs. olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tbs. Mrs. Dash Italian Seasoning Blend

Grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place broccoli onto large baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tbs. olive oil, and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Roast in oven for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned, but still crisp. Remove from oven and set aside.

In a medium frying pan, combine butter and 6 tbs. olive oil over medium heat until butter is melted. Add garlic and seasoning and stir for 1 minute. Don’t cook the garlic too long or it will burn. Remove from heat and set aside.

In large bowl, combine pasta and roasted broccoli. Pour butter/oil mixture over and toss well. Add additional olive oil if pasta seems dry. Add parmesan cheese and stir well. Serve warm or cold.