Mediterranean Roasted Vegetables
Mediterranean Roasted Vegetables is a flavorful and healthy vegetable casserole that is perfect as a side dish. This easy recipe is ideal for enjoying summer vegetables and pairs well with grilled meats.
Are you a fan of Italian vegetable dishes? If so, fantastic! You’re going to love this recipe for Mediterranean Roasted Vegetables. If you aren’t, I am hopeful that you will give this recipe a try because roasting vegetables really is a game-changer as far as taste is concerned.
Have you ever tried roasted beets? What about grilled fennel? And don’t even get me started on roasted root vegetables like carrots, parsnips, and turnips. I could go on, but I think you get the idea—I’m a little obsessed with roasting and grilling vegetables. Once you discover that oven-baked vegetables can win over even the pickiest eaters, I’m sure these recipes will quickly become staples in your healthy eating routine.
Are you ready to witness (and eventually taste) this almost magical transformation of this summer vegetable recipe?
Ingredients
Onions and red bell peppers start things off with a sweet, slightly caramelized flavor creating a delicious base for the dish.
Garlic adds that irresistible aroma and depth of flavor that makes everything better.
Eggplants, zucchini, and yellow summer squash are sliced nice and thin so they roast evenly. These veggies soak up all the olive oil and seasonings, becoming tender and full of flavor.
Roma tomatoes balance the sweetness of the other veggies perfectly.
Olive oil helps everything roast to golden, crispy perfection.
Dried oregano and fresh thyme sprigs add classic Mediterranean flavors we love. Want more of an Italian flair, add Basil leaves.
Salt and pepper bring out the best in each ingredient.
Before we start chopping up some wonderful vegetables, let’s get the oven preheated. The temperature to roast vegetables for this particular recipe is 400°F/200°C.
We also need a 9 by 13-inch large baking dish. Use a non-stick spray, or brush a thin layer of olive oil to coat the inside.
Before we start assembling this roasted vegetable casserole, we need to slice and sauté some of the vegetables.
Prep and sauté the onions, peppers and garlic: More specifically, slice 2 red peppers and 2 medium onions lengthwise into ¼ inch thick slices.
We also need 4-5 roughly chopped garlic cloves. Feel free to use more (or less) according to your personal preference and the size of your cloves.
Optional breadcrumb topping
If desired, sprinkle a breadcrumb topping evenly over the top 10 minutes before the end of the bake time.
To make the topping, combine 4 tablespoons of plain breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons of grated Romano cheese, ½ teaspoon of dried oregano and salt and pepper to taste. If you like, you can also add a pinch of chili flakes or a few pinches of paprika.
Tips:
- Slice the vegetables uniformly to ensure even roasting.
- Use a combination of fresh vegetables that have the same overall total roasting time.
- Follow the same order of stacked vegetable slices to get a beautiful visual of the dish.
- Serve this vegetable dish hot, warm or at room temperature.
- The vegetables will release some of their moisture, some of this will evaporate while baking. The rest of this tasty juice can be drizzled over the top when serving.
- This is a great vegetable side dish to serve a crowd… did someone say Thanksgiving? Don’t forget the chestnut stuffing!
- Transform these roasted vegetables into a Roasted Vegetable Pasta -a great weeknight meal!
Roasted Vegetable Pasta: An Easy Weeknight Dinner
This Roasted Vegetable Pasta is the perfect recipe for anyone that loves to meal prep, or who is looking for a way to use up leftover grilled vegetables. This easy pasta dinner makes a great weeknight dinner that comes together in less than thirty minutes.
Do you meal prep over the weekend so that you can serve simple and tasty weeknight meals to your family?
If you answered yes, and are looking for vegetarian pasta dishes, great! I have the perfect recipe for you… with an Italian twist!
A few weeks ago, I came up with this recipe when I had left over roasted vegetables and it was a huge hit. This recipe is a great side dish to go with pasta, but it makes a quick pasta supper ready in under thirty minutes when it is combined
with pasta.
Although most of the vegetables used in this simple homemade dinner have already been roasted, my family and I are great fans of caramelized shallots and stir-fried mushrooms.
So with an investment of an additional fifteen minutes of prep time, you will quickly appreciate, after your first bite, that it was worth your efforts.
So go ahead and grab one large pot and one large pan because supper will be served in less than 30 minutes!
Instructions
Let’s begin making this recipe by bringing a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. While we wait for that to happen, let’s get started with the vegetables.
Although the roasted vegetables have already been prepped, we will stir fry some more vegetables to make an already great pasta dish extraordinary.
Over medium-high heat, heat about 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add about ½ cup of thinly sliced shallots and stir fry for 1-2 minutes; reduce the heat to medium and give them a little stir every few minutes or so.
If you don’t have any shallots, you can still make this recipe with one medium onion.
So now, while we continue to wait for the water to boil and the shallots to caramelize, chop up about a good handful (or more!) of mushrooms. Add them to the shallots and increase the heat to medium-high.
By this time, the water should be at a rolling boil. Add about half a pound of your favorite pasta to the boiling water and cook according to the package instructions.
Meanwhile, your shallots (or onions) and mushrooms should have a nice color to them and be nicely caramelized. Add the roasted vegetables (previously prepped) and combine. Add about one ladle of the pasta water and turn up the heat.
The pasta should almost be at the “
al dente” stage. This means that there is still a little resistance when chewing it.
Add the pasta to the veggies while reserving a ladle or so of the pasta water, and toss together. If you judge the pasta dish to be on the dry side, add a little more of the pasta water.
The only thing left to do is plate the pasta, grate some cheese of your choice over the top, ricotta, fresh mozzarella, feta, pecorino romano, or parmesan are my go to choices, and garnish with some minced Italian parsley or basil or a combination or each.
To put this dish over the top you can put some cherry tomatoes in the over after drizzling them with olive oil. Broil them until they begin to char, the skin bubbles and they are slightly soft and juicy. The key is to monitor to prevent burning which can happen quickly when using broil. Sprinkle the tomatoes with garlic salt and broil 3-5 minutes. Serve the broiled tomatoes on top of the pasta dish.
If you like heat, add a few pinches of red pepper flakes
