In an effort to control our weight, we’re trying to eat dinner earlier in the day. After a couple hours of freelance work, I started grocery shopping at 4:30 p.m. to purchase a few vegetables and wine. Prepping dinner started close to 6:00 p.m. The evening’s schedule was to fix dinner, go to the gym for 30 minutes, return home to take a shower, reheat dinner and end the day with a glass of red wine. In reality, an Argentinian bottle of red wine was opened at 7:00 p.m., the coat was hung for the night and we sat down to a bowl of garlicky, roasted vegetable sauce over penne pasta. Lesson learned for the day: go grocery shopping earlier. This is a sauce that tastes better the next day when the flavors marinate over night.

Roasted Vegetable Tomato Sauce over Pasta

Ingredients for Roasted Vegetables

• Olive oil
• 3 to 4 garlic cloves
• salt and pepper, to taste
• red pepper flakes, to taste
• balsamic vinegar
• An assortment of vegetables, cleaned and roughly chopped (such as eggplant, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, sweet onions and mushrooms)
• 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

Directions for Roasting Vegetables

1. Preheat oven to 400°f.
2. Mix all of the ingredients.
3. Dump ingredients onto a foil covered cookie sheet.
4. Place in oven and toss occasionally (note: start making the sauce, the recipe is below). Cook at least half an hour or until desired roasting consistency.
5. Set aside.

Ingredients for the Sauce

• 1 to 2 tbsp. of olive oil
• 1-14 oz. can of tomato sauce
• 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 c. of pitted Kalamata olives, roughly chopped
• basil leaves, roughly chopped, leave some aside for garnish
• 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
• salt and pepper, to taste
• red pepper, to taste
• 1 c. + 1/8 c. of red wine; amounts divided
• 12 to 16 oz. of penne pasta, cooked al dente
• Garnish: shredded parmesan cheese

Directions for the Sauce

1. Over medium heat, heat a large pot. When the pot is hot, add the olive oil.
2. Sautéed onions until translucent. Add olives and garlic. Stir for about 30 seconds.
3. Add tomato sauce, basil, paprika, red pepper, one cup of wine, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer the sauce for about 30 minutes or until roasted vegetables are done.
4. Note: start making Penna pasta according to the manufacturer’s directions.
5. Toss roasted vegetables, pasta and an 1/8 cup of wine into the sauce. Reheat to warm.
6. Serve pasta in bowls. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and chopped basil.