Roasted Vegetables & Pasta

I thought I would share with you a dish that my husband and I just love. I got the recipe from a chef, who is a friend of ours. We first tasted this dish at a wedding he was catering. I asked him if he would share with me the recipe. It took a while, but while he was in Florida cooking one winter, he emailed me the recipe. It was a slightly different than this one. It had fresh fennel bulb in it, but I was not able to get it this time. Here is the version I cooked today, including pictures of each step. You can use any vegetables you like in this dish.

Ingredients:

• 2 Large Heads Broccoli Cut Into Florets
• 4 To 5 Cups Brussels Sprouts Cut In Half
• 2 Large Carrots Julienned
• 1 Large Sweet Onion Sliced
• 7 to 8 Cloves Garlic Minced
• 1 Large Red Bell Pepper Julienned
• 1 lb. Thick Sliced Bacon Quartered
• 1 lb. Spaghetti Broken In Half
• 1 Tbls. McCormick Grill Mates Montreal Steak Seasoning
• 1 Tbls. McCormick Grill Mates Garlic & Herb Seasoning
• 1 Tbls. McCormick Grill Mates Roasted Garlic & Onion Seasoning
• 1/4 to 1/2 Tsp. Rosemary
• 1/2 Bay Leaf Crumbled
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup canola oil
  

Directions:

1. Rinse Brussels Sprouts, discard outer dry leaves and cut sprouts in half. Put sprouts in large bowl.

2. Rinse Broccoli, cut into florets and add to bowl.

3. Julienne two large carrots and a red bell pepper and add to rest of vegetables.

4. Slice the onion and mince the garlic and add to the bowl.

5. Add oil and seasonings to bowl of vegetables and mix.

6. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spread vegetables that are mixed with oil and seasonings onto a 13 by 9 inch cookie sheet and roast for 20 minutes or until tender. I usually check them after 20 minutes and turn with a spatula.

7. Cook bacon and set aside. Cook spaghetti, drain and add to vegetable bowl. Season as you like and add a bit of oil to keep from sticking together. Stir in cooked bacon.

8. When vegetables are done, add to pasta bacon mixture and toss gently.

That’s it! Enjoy! :)

Some other variations that I did not use today are Butternut Squash, fennel bulb, celery, asparagus, and cabbage….red or green. You can also use many types of meat. like ham, Canadian bacon, chicken or pork. The one main ingredient that MUST be there for flavor is the Montreal Steak Seasoning. I must admit, I did add a little bit of the bacon grease today to the veggies going into the oven. We just got done eating this for dinner and my husband said it was so good that he could just keep eating it! We didn’t though…:)….leftovers for tomorrow. Try it and let me know what you think?