If there was a meal that was going to be my last, it would be spaghetti with tomato sauce, caesar salad, and garlic bread. This sauce, simple and delicious as it is, is my comfort food. Growing up we were a Classico Sauce kinda family, and this yummy blend of tomatoes and peppers is my vegan rendition of it. It's nothing alike in flavour, but I make it everywhere I travel to help find a semblance of the feeling of being home when I'm on the road.
Also, the way to cook it: one pan + blender, means easy clean-up, and something you can put in the oven while you do other things.
The abundant options for noodles can lend to personalized nutritional value too; if you wanna amp up the protein, go for a lentil pasta, keep it classic with standard skinny long wheat noodles, or go plant-based and ultra light with a raw zucchini noodle. And GF options these days abound.
Make it in bulk and freeze. Double the recipe for the convenience futures dinners, where all you need to do is cook the pasta & heat the sauce.
Ingredients
Roma tomato, 8
Onion, 2
Red pepper, 1
Avocado or coconut oil, 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp
Garlic, 1 head (not the cloves, the entire thing)
Parchment paper or tin foil
Ground pepper, 1 tsp
Himalayan salt, 1 tsp
Olive oil, 1/4 cup
Nutritional yeast, 1 tbsp
Fresh basil, optional
Pasta of choice to serve with sauce
Casserole pan, or pan with a minimum 1 in lip to catch the liquid that will be created from the roasting veggies.
Directions
Set oven to 400 F.
Chop Roma tomatoes into chunks of 4.
Do the same with red pepper and onion.
Line casserole pan with parchment paper & arrange veg on there.
Drizzle with 1/4 cup of oil. Sprinkle salt and pepper.
Cut the top of the garlic head off, making it flat and exposing the tops of the garlic cloves. Leave the skin on the rest of the garlic head.
Place garlic head on a square of parchment or foil and drizzle with 1 tbsp of oil. Gather the sides of the paper and secure by twisting it above the flat part of the garlic, so it's sealed.
On the middle rack of the oven, place casserole dish, add garlic parcel to the casserole dish (in with the tomatoes & onion & peppers).
Cook for 40-45 minutes.
Remove pan. Let cool for 15 minutes.
Carefully open up garlic parcel and squeeze out the roasted cloves. Use a fork or knife if you need to. Add to blender.
Add all the roasted veggies to the blender.
Add olive oil and nutritional yeast. Blend until smooth.
Combine with your favourite pasta & top with fresh basil if you desire.
