Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower, Brussel Sprouts, and Walnut Pesto

I love pasta and am always trying to figure out ways to make it more of a one-dish meal with the addition of seasonal vegetables. Roasted cauliflower and brussel sprouts give this pasta substance and character (as well as a healthy boost). When choosing brussel sprouts, look for those that are smaller in size and firm when squeezed. This was my first shot at a walnut pesto - I am always looking for different pasta sauces that aren't tomato-based, just to mix things up, and we loved it. I like using chunks of parmesan and adding it to the food processor when making pesto rather than adding grated parmesan cheese - it gives the pesto more texture (a tip from my sister). If you end up with extra pesto, you can store it in the fridge for a week or in the freezer for at least a month.

Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower, Brussel Sprouts, and Walnut Pesto
Serves 4

Active Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

1 small head cauliflower (1 1/2 - 2 lbs), stem and core removed and cut into small florets
1 lb. brussel sprouts, cut into quarters (or halves for very small ones)
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 t. kosher salt
1/4 t. black pepper
12 oz. whole-wheat linguine

1 c. walnuts
1/2 c. parmesan cheese, cut into small chunks
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/2 c. pasta water, reserved

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Place the cauliflower and brussel sprouts into a roasting pan or baking sheet. Add 1 T. olive oil and toss to coat. Add 1 t. kosher salt and 1/4 t. pepper and toss again. Roast for 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the walnuts and parmesan cheese wedges in a food processor. Turn on the processor and after a few seconds, start adding the olive oil steadily. Stop when the walnuts and parmesan are in small pieces but not too finely ground (a few more seconds).

Start a pot of boiling water and cook the pasta until al dente, reserving 1/2 c. of the pasta water.

Remove the vegetables from the oven when they are ready. In a large bowl, add the pasta and 1/2 of the pesto as well as about 1/4 c. of the pasta water and stir well to combine. Add the vegetables and as much additional pesto as you'd like (we used it all) and more pasta water to help the pesto combine with the pasta and vegetables.

Enjoy! This also was delicious reheated the next day.

Pumpkin, Feta, Walnut, and Sage Pasta

Pumpkin is one of my favorite flavors that really represents the coming of fall. I have actually never cooked fresh pumpkin before, and was pleasantly rewarded when I put together this dish! My inspiration came from this gorgeous sugar pumpkin at the farmer's market this weekend - however, I have also seen sugar pumpkins at our local supermarket, so you don't have to go to the farmer's market to make this dish. Sugar pumpkins are in between the size of smaller decorative pumpkins (which are inedible) and the larger pumpkins that you use to make jack-o-lanterns. The combination of the flavors of pumpkin, feta, walnuts, and sage is fantastic. It's also a pretty easy recipe - the hardest part is probably peeling the pumpkin, which isn't that difficult. You could use a vegetable peeler but I found just peeling it with a knife was easiest.

 

Pumpkin, Feta, Walnut, and Sage Pasta

Serves 4

Extra virgin olive oil

1 sugar pumpkin, peeled and cut into 1'' pieces

1 T. + 1 t. chopped fresh sage leaves

1 cup walnuts

4 oz. feta cheese

12 oz. short whole wheat pasta, such as shells

Kosher salt

Pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Peel and cut the pumpkin and toss in a large bowl with 1 T. of the chopped sage leaves, 1 T. of extra virgin olive oil, and 1/2 t. salt. Roast for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, toast the walnuts in a small skillet over low heat. I always used to roast nuts over high heat to get them done quicker, but after about 10 batches of burnt nuts, learned that it's better to do it over slow heat for slightly longer. It doesn't take too long - about 10 minutes. Still, keep an eye on them and stir occasionally. Once they are fragrant and lightly browned, remove from the pan, set aside, and roughly chop the nuts. 

Once the pumpkin is getting closer to being done, prepare the pasta. I like using shell shapes here because it holds onto the pumpkin, feta, and walnuts nicely. 

When the pasta is almost done, heat 2 T. of extra virgin olive oil in a pan over medium heat, and add the remaining 1 t. sage. Let this warm together for a minute or so and turn off the heat. 

Remove the pumpkin from the oven. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/4 c. pasta water first. 

In a large bowl, combine the roasted pumpkin, pasta, and walnuts, and crumble the feta over the top. Pour the reserved pasta water and sage-infused olive oil over the mixture, add 1/2 t. salt and 1/4 t. pepper, and stir to blend well. To serve, crumble a little more feta over each dish, if desired.

This is one of my favorite things I've made, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Happy Fall!