Harvest Pasta
That familiar chill is in the air and the smell of pumpkin syrup at every café means one thing: Fall. Roll your eyes if you must- but there is something magical about this season. Especially fall foods.
I’m not just talking about pumpkins, either. I’m taking about apples, squash, jalapeno peppers, ginger, garlic, cauliflower, dates, pineapples, pomegranates, cranberries, brussels sprouts, turnips, and sweet potatoes- to name just a few of the plants in season for autumn.
Today I’ll be making a hearty pasta dish inspired by the change of seasons. I’ll be using spaghetti squash as a “pasta” base with a fall flair. While I think this works perfectly for this rustic dish, you can use whatever pasta you like. Let’s take a look at what goes into this Harvest Pasta:
INGREDIENTS
1 large spaghetti squash
1 cup GGG’s Peashoot Microgreens
1 cup chopped eggplant
1 cup chopped zucchini
1 ear of corn
1 cup cherry tomatoes
5 large white mushrooms
1 cup of sundried tomatoes
1 small onion
2 cloves of garlic
½ cup of EVOO
¼ cup of water
Salt + pepper
Optional* parmesan for garnish
I’ll note that while this recipe doesn’t call for any meat, I encourage you to add your favorite protein. I think this would be delicious with some grilled chicken or even crumbled sausage or shrimp… I’ll let you decide your fate.
What I’ll be featuring today is a simple pasta with roasted veggies and a sundried tomato sauce. Most of the cook time exists in the oven, waiting for your veggies to roast to perfection. Other than that, this meal couldn’t be more low maintenance.
MAKING THE DISH
As always, I start by giving all of my produce a quick wash. I chose my favorite veggies for this pasta- eggplant, corn, mushrooms, zucchini- but you can make substitutions if you prefer. I think these flavors make for the perfect fall flavor, and pair beautifully with this tasty sundried tomato sauce. Whatever veggies you choose, chop them to your preferred size. Throw them onto a lined baking sheet with a drizzle of olive oil and some salt and pepper. I did the same with cherry tomatoes, leaving those whole.
As for the spaghetti squash, you’ll want to cut it lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Season the same way as the other veggies, and place rind up on a baking sheet. Put all of your veggies, save for the microgreens, into the oven at 400° Fahrenheit.
These will cook for around forty minutes, perhaps a few longer for the squash. In the meantime, I make my sauce. I chop the smallest onion I could find and two cloves of garlic. I put those in a pan, along with my remaining olive oil and let that simmer a bit. Once the onions are translucent, I add my sundried tomatoes, giving everything a stir. When the sauce starts to bubble, take it off and let it cool down for a minute before giving it a zap in the blender with a quarter cup of water. This is a trick I picked up in restaurant work that makes for a silky sauce.
After your veggies have come out of the oven and your squash is cool enough to handle, it’s time for the fun part- shredding it into “pasta”. This is honestly too easy- all you have to do is scrape the inside with a fork and you have soft, flavorful squash “pasta”.
All that’s left to do is throw it all together! I put everything back in the pan, coating the noodles and veggies in my sundried tomato sauce. The last step is to throw in the Peashoot Microgreens. I like to add these into the mix last, so they don’t wilt completely. I think these little greens add the perfect crunch to my noodles- and fortify this dish with 40% more vitamins and minerals. I used a few peashoot leaves and a sprinkle of parmesan for a garnish.
THE RESULT
Voila: a cozy dish for the change of seasons. Not only is this packed with nutrients and absolutely delicious- it’s a sight for sore eyes.
Give this recipe a try and tag us in your pics on Instagram at @GiantGorillaGreens