Japanese soba noodles might be the ultimate light and refreshing pasta dish. It has not meat or meat sauce, in fact no vegetables either. I won't attempt to enter a recipe. The one linked is so much better than any I could type. The ingredient list is short. It's the method which is important, including the method for eating it.

Jim

Here is a link that might be useful: Soba Noodles

My meat eating family likes this one, and I imagine that you could add other vegetables that you like.

Becky

Cheese Ravioli with Fresh Tomato and Artichoke Sauce

2 (9 ounce) packages fresh cheese
ravioli
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound roma tomatoes - peeled, seeded
and chopped
1 (6.5 ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts
1/2 cup chopped green onions
3 cloves crushed garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black
pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Cook ravioli according to package directions.
2. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over a medium high flame. Add tomatoes, artichokes, scallions, garlic, and salt and pepper. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are warmed through. Remove from heat.
3. Drain pasta well. Transfer to a large bowl, and toss with 1 teaspoon oil. Add half of the sauce to the ravioli; toss gently, but thoroughly to mix. Transfer ravioli to a large serving platter. Pour remaining vegetable sauce over ravioli. Garnish with Parmesan cheese.

www.allrecipes.com

What I make with the first zucchini of the season:

Saute garlic in a little olive oil. Add grated zucchini and saute very lightly. Add plain yogurt and heat until just warm. Serve a large amount of the yogurt/zucchini over a relatively small amount of pasta and use plenty of freshly grated parmesan. Mmmmmm.

For a little later in the season:

Lightly saute lots of garlic in plenty of olive oil. Add cut up tomatoes and simmer just until juices run. Add fresh basil and parsley. Serve over pasta with plenty of freshly grated parmesan. Also Mmmmmm.

Teresa, doing what Laceyvail does works with many vegetables. Starting with olive oil and garlic, you can saute just about any veggie, add some parmesan, or any of your favorite cheeses, and it'll be yummy. Some other veggies you could treat this way would be English peas, carrots, young eggplant, even leafy greens such as spinach or chard.

Laceyvail, I wouldn't have thought of shredding the zucchini, nor adding yogurt. I'm going to try that recipe.

I looked at my Italian Vegetarian cookbook for ideas, and there's a long list of pasta with vegetables recipes. This cookbook is by Jack Bishop. Maybe your local library has it.

Here's one that even if you don't use the specific veggies listed, it can give you ideas. It uses grilled veggies.

Fusilli with Grilled Vegetables.

2 small fennel bulbs (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 large red onion (about 1/2 pound), cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 medium red bell pepper (about 6 ounces), cored, seeded and cut into 2-inch wide pieces
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup shredded fresh basil leaves
1 pound fusilli

1. Light the grill or make a charcoal fire. Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot for cooking the pasta.
2. Remove and discard the stems and fronds from the fennel. Remove any tough or blemished outer layers. Slice the bulb vertically through the base into 1/2 inch-thick fan-shaped wedges.
3. Place the fennel, onion and bell pepper on a large baking sheet and brush with 3 tablespoons of the oil. Season generously with salt and pepper to taste.
4. When the grill is ready, place the vegetables over the medium-hot fire. Grill the vegetables, turning once, until they are streaked with dark grill marks, about 10 minutes for the peppers and onions, and 15 minutes for the fennel.
5. Briefly cool the grilled vegetables and cut them into thin strips. Place the vegetables in a bowl large enough to hold the fusilli when cooked. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil along with the basil. Adjust the seasonings. (The vegetables can be covered and kept at room temperature for several hours.)
6. When the water comes to a boil, add salt to taste and the fusilli. Cook until al dente and then drain.
7. Toss the fusilli with the vegetables. Divide among individual bowls and serve immediately.

Sally

Saw Lidia cook this on a show once and it has since become a regualar dish for me. Very easy to do, and it tastes delicious. I don't worry about using cherry tomatoes, I just use whatever tomatoes I have on hand. Also you can substitute other kinds of nuts for the almonds.

Anna's Spaghetti and Pesto Trapanese (Pesto alla Anna)
By Lidia Bastianich

3/4 pound(s) cherry tomatoes (about 2 1/2 cups), very ripe and sweet
12 large fresh basil leaves
1 clove(s) (large) garlic, crushed and peeled
1/3 cup(s) whole almonds, lightly toasted
1/4 teaspoon(s) peperoncino (crushed red pepper), or to taste
1/2 teaspoon(s) coarse sea salt or kosher salt, or to taste, plus more for the pasta
1/2 cup(s) extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound(s) spaghetti
1/2 cup(s) Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano, freshly grated

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Directions

Rinse the cherry tomatoes and basil leaves and pat them dry.
Drop the tomatoes into the blender jar or food processor bowl followed by the garlic clove, almonds, basil leaves, peperoncino, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Blend for a minute or more to a fine puree; scrape down the bowl and blend again if any large bits or pieces have survived.
With the machine still running, pour in the olive oil in a steady stream, emulsifying the puree into a thick pesto. Taste and adjust seasoning. (If youre going to dress the pasta within a couple of hours, leave the pesto at room temperature. Refrigerate for longer storage, up to 2 days, but let it return to room temperature before cooking the pasta.)
To cook the spaghetti, heat 6 quarts of water, with 1 tablespoon salt, to boil in a large pot.
Scrape all the pesto into a big warm bowl. Cook the spaghetti al dente, lift it from the cooking pot, drain briefly, and drop onto the pesto. Toss quickly to coat the spaghetti, sprinkle the cheese all over, and toss again. Serve immediately in warm bowls.

These all sound very good! Thank you! Keep 'em coming!

This is absolutely delicious:

PASTA WITH ASPARAGUS LEMON SAUCE

1 Pound Fresh Asparagus
2 Tablespoons Kosher Salt
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Clove Garlic
3/4 Teaspoon Finely Grated Lemon Zest
Juice of ½ Lemon
Red Pepper Flakes, to taste
Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to taste
1 Pound Penne or other Short Pasta
1/2cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut Asparagus into 1 inch pieces, reserving tips for later. Add the Salt and Asparagus Stems to the boiling water. Cook Stems until very tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and shock under cold water.

Add Asparagus Tips to boiling water and cook until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and shock under cold water. Reserve separate from the stems. Do not discard the cooking water!! In a food processor combine the reserved Asparagus Stems, Olive Oil, Lemon Zest, Lemon Juice, Garlic, Red Pepper Flakes and ½ Cup of the Asparagus cooking Water. Process until smooth, season to taste with Salt and Pepper. Transfer to a four quart pot.

Return the remaining Asparagus cooking water to a boil and cook Pasta until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve one cup of the pasta water. Add Pasta, Asparagus Tips and ½ Cup reserved Pasta water to the Asparagus Puree. Stir over medium heat until the pasta is tender and the sauce coats it, 3 to 5 minutes. Add more Pasta water if the sauce becomes too dry.

Stir in 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese. Serve, passing remaining Parmesan separately.

Steve

I've never like Pasta Primavera until I tasted this one by Pioneer Woman and it's the best non meat pasta I've ever eaten too. Of course if you have to count fat and calories like me you can only have it once every two or three years. ; ) I omit the broccoli, but that's just me.

1 cup Bite-sized Broccoli Pieces (up To 1 1/2 Cups)
½ whole Onion Diced Finely
3 cloves To 4 Cloves Garlic, Chopped Finely
2 whole Medium To Large Carrots, Sliced On The Bias (diagonally)
2 whole Medium Zucchini, Sliced On The Bias (diagonally)
1 whole Medium Yellow Squash (optional)
1 container (about 5 Oz.) White Button Or Baby Porcini Mushrooms, Roughly Sliced
1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Sliced Into Strips
4 Tablespoons Butter
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 pound Pasta (I Like Penne)
FOR THE SAUCE:
¼ cups Dry White Wine (up To 1/2 Cup), Optional (replace With Additional Broth If Not Using)
½ cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
1 cup Whipping (heavy) Cream
1 cup Half-and-half
½ cups Grated Parmesan Cheese
5 leaves Basil (or More To Taste), Plus Extra For Garnish
½ cups Frozen Peas
Preparation Instructions
First, prep the vegetables. Chop the broccoli into bite-sized pieces, about 1 to 1 ½ cups worth. Dice half a yellow onion. Chop 3 to 4 cloves of garlic. Slice carrots on the bias (diagonally), and do the same for the zucchini and yellow squash. Roughly slice the mushrooms and slice the red pepper (seeded) into strips.
Heat 2 tablespoons butter with 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic together and cook for a minute or two, until they start to turn translucent. Then throw in the broccoli. Stir, and add in the carrots.
Stir it around, and PLEASE, PLEASE cook it for only a minute, tops. Transfer the mixture to a plate. Add in the red pepper strips to the skillet. Stir them around for a minute or so, then transfer them to the plate.
Add pasta to slightly salted boiling water and cook to al dente.
Add a tablespoon of butter to the skillet. Add squash and zucchini, cook for less than a minute, then transfer to plate. Cook mushrooms for a minute or two (add salt to taste), and again transfer to the plate.
FOR THE SAUCE
To make the sauce, pour ¼ to ½ cup dry white wine into the skillet (see note below). Add ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth, a tablespoon of butter and scrape the bottom of the skillet to pull up the flavor left behind by the veggie cooking. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the liquid starts to thicken.
Add 1 cup whipping cream and 1 cup half-and-half. Measure out ½ cup grated Parmesan; add to the skillet. Add salt and pepper to taste. Chiffonade 5 to 6 fresh basil leaves and add that to the sauce; stir.
Dump veggies and mushrooms into the sauce along with ½ cup frozen peas right out of the freezer. Add pasta al dente and stir. If the sauce seems a little thick, or if there doesnt seem to be enough sauce, add a good splash of chicken broth and a little more half-and-half. Top with more Parmesan, salt, pepper, and basil to taste.
Note: if youre averse to wine, add chicken broth instead. But watch the salt later.

Oh my, Beverly, that sounds pretty good, all that cream and half and half and cheese. Yup, about every three years would be the max for me too, LOL.

I like whole wheat pasta just tossed with chopped fresh tomato, fresh basil from the garden and a grating of good parmesan, I do not like cooked tomato sauces at all.

I do like to cut up onion, garlic, zucchini, eggplant, peppers, mushrooms, whatever I have and give them a quick saute in olive oil with some salt and pepper and whatever herbs I have. Cook until as done as you like them, toss with some fresh pasta (basil pasta is good here), add some fresh chopped tomatoes if you like and some grated parmesan. Yummy.

Annie

Oh Annie, I forgot about pasta tossed with fresh garden tomatoes and basil. Yum, that's delicious! Before I do that though, I cook a little garlic in olive oil to go over the spaghetti too. I rarely like a cooked tomato sauce either.

We were at a local restaurant recently and they made a beautiful pasta primavera with some sauteed fresh vegetables and marscapone cheese. You could sub whole milk or skim milk ricotta and it would work just fine. Some shavings of good Parmesan-Reggiano and it was a feast!

Thanks, jkom51, I've often wondered what could sub for that marscapone cheese.

I would like to try the Cheese Ravioli with Fresh Tomato and Artichoke Sauce. What are the thoughts about using roasted tomatoes? I have lots of them from last season.

I cook fresh veggies with pasta similar to what Annie does and on the occasion when you feel like a little meat, add some cut-up proscuitto when you saute the onion, garlic etc. I usually add fresh basil at the end, as well.

jude

I think the roasted tomatoes sound great! Hopefully Becky will chime in with her opinion, as she has made the recipe and we haven't. :o)

Cream Cheese could be a sub for marscapone, too, as marscapone is the Italian version of cream cheese.

I think roasted tomatoes would be great on pasta.

Sally

Roasted tomatoes sound good for a totally different taste than fresh.

How do you think reduced fat cream cheese would work as a sub for cream or marscapone?

I think that the roasted tomatoes with the cheese ravioli sounds really good. The sauce doesn't have a lot of liquid anyway, and if you feel like it's a little dry you could always add a little white wine, vinaigrette, broth or tomato juice.

I think I may have to make it for dinner tonight, we've been eating quite a bit of meat the last few days and something a little lighter sounds good :-)

Becky

We have been enjoying pasta with vegetable sauces made in the food processor. I steam the vegetables first and then puree them along with green onions and/or garlic, olive oil, fresh herbs, and sometimes grated cheese, toasted nuts, lemon juice, basalmic vinegar or roasted garlic.

I've made pesto-like sauces with spinach, chard, carrots, peas and asparagus, and other vegetables. The fresh pea one with mint and parmesan cheese was a favorite. Another good one was carrots with toasted pecans and roasted garlic.

We sometimes add diced tomatoes, capers, black olives, or cubes of ham or cooked poultry, fish or shrimp as toppings.

Once you get past the idea that pasta sauces must be tomato or cream based, you can have a lot of fun with it.

Thanks, Ruthanna! Now I know what to do with those last remaining leaves of Swiss chard!

Teresa:

Don't forget:

Aglio e Olio con Pepe russo ( with Red Peppers )
I simmered Italian Style Roasted sliced Red Bell Peppers and 5 Garlic cloves chopped, in 1/4 cup of Olive Oil.

Loaded it with Chopped Parsley, Basil Flakes ( the top fell off, so I added a little more Basil ) pinch of Oregano, onion powder , Black pepper and a pinch of ground red pepper.

Meanwhile , I cooked 1/2 pound of spaghetti #9, drained it and put the pepper mess on this and mixed it.
To make a Sauce:
While the spaghetti was hot I beat an egg in 1/2 cup of warm water with 1 teaspoon of Chicken Soup Base,
Or 1/2 cup of Chicken Stock .
Makes a nice Sauce.
and dumped this on top and mixed it good,
with some grated Parmesan Cheese and salt to taste. Added more Cheese when served.
It was delicious!!!!!!!!! You have to try it.

The Photo came in lighter from the other PC.
LOU

I have some others .
Lou

This is really a non-recipe...proportions aren't crucial. I wrote this down for the kid when she moved out.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Kitchen Sink Primavera

Recipe By : Katie
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 tsp oil
chopped garlic -- lots
chopped tomatoes -- 3-4 c.
4 c vegetables of your choice* -- cut to bite size
wine -- 1/4-1/2 c.
dash wine vinegar
fresh basil -- lots
1/4 c parmesan cheese -- or more
hot cooked pasta

Sauté garlic in oil. Add tomatoes, vegies, wine and vinegar and cook until vegies are crisp-tender. Add basil, cook until wilted, and add cheese.

Serve over hot pasta. Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and freshly ground pepper.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

NOTES : * Use whatever vegies are ripe, very fresh baby vegies are the best! Try any combination of asparagus, broccoli, julienned carrots, onions or leeks, summer squash, peppers, baby green beans, mushrooms, etc.

Here is another:
You can leave out the Ham and use Chicken Broth.

Pasta Fagioli

Pasta Cece

Hope this Photo of the Alioi Olio w Red Peppers is better.

Pasta Fagioli

This is a great thread - thanks for starting it, Teresa!

The recipe I have to contribute does have a little bit of prosciutto but it is light (well, yes - it does have butter!) and makes a nice meal on a hot summer day (which is when I first tried it - the recipe is from the sorely missed Gourmet magazine)

Summer Garden Tortelloni

1 (8-ounce) bag dried cheese tortelloni
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
2 oz thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into strips
2 cups corn (from 4 ears)
1/2 stick unsalted butter
2 medium tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped basil

Preparation
Cook tortelloni in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (2 tablespoons salt for 6 quarts water) according to package instructions.

While tortelloni boils, cook garlic, prosciutto, corn, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in butter in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until corn is just tender, 4 to 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop tomatoes.

Combine corn mixture and tomatoes in a large bowl.

Reserve 1/4 cup pasta-cooking water, then drain tortelloni and add to vegetables along with reserved cooking water and basil. Toss well and season with salt and pepper.

(The recipe says it serves 4, but that would be with other things on the side - I think my DH & I ate most of it for dinner!)

seagrass

I always make a "primavera" type pasta dish using onions, lots of garlic, zucchini, peas, fresh or canned diced tomatoes (if I can't get any decent fresh ones), red/green bell pepper, sometimes artichoke hearts and ripe olives. Saute those with olive oil, salt, pepper, add a can of drained cannellini beans, some chicken broth (you could also use vegetable broth or clam juice) lots of fresh basil and sometimes crushed red pepper flakes if I'm in the mood for spicy. Toss with your favorite pasta cut and top with grated cheese. If the "sauce" seems too thin add a little pasta water.

Two dishes that I grew up with are very simple, yet full of flavor. Thinly sliced zucchini and onions sauteed in olive oil (both carmelized) add garlic, salt and pepper saute that until the garlic is done and toss with linguine serve with grated cheese.

The other one was broccoli pasta. Boil chopped broccoli until it is very soft (sometimes I'll throw a couple of cloves of garlic in the water, as well) drain and set aside, reserving the water it was cooked in. Saute onions in olive oil until golden brown add fresh garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes, add your broccoli to the pan and kind of mash the broccoli up a bit, but not too much (sometimes I will add a bit of chicken broth if it seems too thick). Cook linguine or vermicelli in the reserved broccoli water (add more water if needed) toss the hot cooked pasta with the broccoli mixture adding some of the pasta water to help form the sauce. Sometimes I will mix some ricotta cheese in to this dish, depends on what I'm in the mood for. Top with fresh grated cheese.

Another alternative to the cheese topping in these dishes is toasted bread crumbs. My mom would toast them in a pan with olive oil, salt and pepper (sometimes adding mashed up anchovies instead of the salt) and sprinlke it over the pasta instead of cheese. I believe this came about during the Depression as a substitue for cheese.

I made this the other night.

Pasta Caprese
4 main servings or 6-8 side dish servings
This is great as a main dish served room temperature or as a side dish or salad served room temperature or cold.

12 oz. pasta (Iused tri-color rotini)
4 oz. fresh mozzarella, cut into ¼" dice
2 scallions 3" of white part, minced
12 grape tomatoes, quartered
1 baby zucchini cut in quarters lengthwise then in thin slices
2 oz. prosciutto. Cut into ¼" dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 tbs. olive oil
1 tbs. aged balsamic vinegar
1 tbs. fresh basil, minced
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
I sometimes throw in ripe olives quartered.

Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente. Just before draining the pasta, add zucchini to the pot. Drain pasta and rinse with cool water. In the same saucepan used for the pasta, add the olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until garlic is cooked but not browned. Remove pan from heat. Add pasta to pan and stir to distribute oil. Add scallions, then prosciutto, then tomatoes, then mozzarella and finally balsamic vinegar. Gently stir mixture between addition of each ingredient. Lastly add th basil and gently stir in. Serve with fresh grated parmesan cheese.

The key is to cool the pasta enough so that when the mozzarella is added it does not get stringy. Also the tomatoes should be intact not cooked. Adding the basil last prevents the vinegar from wilting it.

I am definitely copying and pasting many of these recipes and ideas! I love pasta and really get tired of eating meat all the time. I have a few, but am loving having more meatless pasta dishes to try!

Broccoli Linguini

1 lb linguini
3 oz olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lg bunch broccoli, finely chopped including 1-2" of stems
3/4 c chopped walnuts
1/2c pitted black olives, sliced
3 oz parmesan or romano cheese, grated
Salt to taste

Pepper, freshly ground

Cook linguini according to package directions until "al dente", drain.
Heat olive oil in large skillet and sauté garlic until golden.
Add broccoli, walnuts and olives, cook and stir over medium heat until very hot.
Season to taste with salt and pepper
Pour over hot linguini, sprinkle parmesan over top and serve immediately

(From Daytons Marketplace)

And this one is different, but quite good, too!

Whole-Wheat Spaghetti with Swiss Chard and Pecorino Cheese
Courtesy Giada DeLaurentis

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 bunches Swiss chard, trimmed and chopped (about 14 cups)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juices
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper
8 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti
1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons freshly grated Pecorino cheese
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

Heat the oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the chard and saute until it wilts, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes with their juices, wine, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer until the tomatoes begin to break down and the chard is very tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Season the chard mixture, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring frequently, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the spaghetti. Add the spaghetti to the chard mixture and toss to combine.

Transfer the pasta to serving bowls. Sprinkle the olives, cheese, and pine nuts and serve.

Linda

Linda, that swiss chard and whole wheat pasta is calling my name, youbetcha! Sorry, I couldn't help myself. Elery always refers to you as "youbetcha Linda" because he has a SIL named Linda and so we differentiate. (grin)

The broccoli linguine with the walnuts looks good too, but the olives have to be in Elery's portion only...

Annie

LOL, Annie....well, I guess I've been called worse!

Linda

Saute slices of zuchinni in olive oil. Serve over linguine with a good handful of parmeasan cheese. Sometimes I add mushrooms and sliced onions. It doesn't get much easier than that...although, I don't know how "light" it is.

Linda:
Glad you put in the Brocolli Linguine recipe.

Couldn't find mine.
Sometimes I add a little Chicken Broth.
Lou

tmd15:
Sorry, I didn't see your Broccoli Pasta thread.
That's about the way we do it.
Lou

I know the idea of ratatouille isn't new, but I ran across this Rachael Ray recipe, tried it, and now make it or some variation fairly often. The whole roasted head of garlic makes a big difference, I think, and I bet that the vegetables would be outstanding roasted on the grill.

Roasted Ratatouille Pasta - Rachael Ray
6 servings

Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling
1 head garlic
1 medium eggplant, ends removed, peeled and cut into small chunks
2 to 3 medium zucchini, ends removed, cut in half lengthwise and into small chunks
2 red bell peppers, cored and cut into small chunks
1 large onion, cut into small chunks
4 sprigs thyme, leaves removed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
1 pound whole wheat penne
1/2 cup Italian parsley, chopped
1/2 cup (a large handful) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more to pass at the table

Preheat oven to 450ºF. Place a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a boil. Cut a sliver off the top of the garlic head just large enough to expose the cloves. Tear off a large square of aluminum foil and place the garlic in the center. Drizzle a small amount of EVOO over the head and wrap the foil up around it. Place in the oven and roast until golden brown and tender, about 45 minutes.

While the garlic is roasting, cut up the veggies and place everything except the tomatoes on one or two large baking sheets, along with the thyme leaves.

Once the garlic has been roasting for about 15 minutes, drizzle the veggies with EVOO and season them with some salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast them in the oven until tender and caramelized, about 30 minutes.

Once the veggies have been in the oven about 10 minutes, place the tomatoes onto another baking sheet, drizzle them with EVOO and hit them with some salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss them into the oven with the other veggies and roast until they've burst and shriveled up slightly, 15-20 minutes.

Once the veggies have about 10 minutes left to go, drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook to al dente according to package directions. Before draining the pasta, ladle about 3/4 cup or so of the pasta cooking liquid into a large serving bowl. Drain the pasta and reserve.

Once the garlic is done roasting, allow it to cool enough to handle, then hold the head in your hand over the bowl with the pasta water and squeeze out all of the roasted cloves into the bowl. Add the tomatoes and mash everything together.

Add the roasted veggies, drained pasta, parsley and grated Parmigiano to the bowl and toss it all to combine.