Roasted Brassica Pasta

I've been making this a lot lately because I'm obsessed with it. It's quick and easy but SO good. I thought I'd throw the recipe up here because a few people have asked me about it and the short version fits in a tweet but here's a little more detail.

Tools needed

A sheet pan, a pot big enough to boil pasta & hold everything, a colander, cooking spoons

Ingredients

• Garlic to your taste -- a lot, I usually use around 6 cloves, minced or pressed
• A nice-sized shallot, or one onion, minced
• 16oz of nice, medium-sized pasta. I use Sfoglini pasta and I've tried Vesuvio, Cascatelli, and Trumpets and they all worked great but the Vesuvio was my favorite
• 1.5-2lbs of a hearty brassica such as brussels sprouts or broccoli
• Olive oil (I didn't measure it at any point)
• Any other veggies for sautee such as mushrooms
• Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper
• Lemon juice to taste
• Parmesan for serving if desired

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 425
• Boil your pasta and set aside. Reserve a little bit of the pasta water to deglaze the pan if necessary, especially if you are adding mushrooms
• Prep your brassica by slicing into bite-sized pieces and tossing wit olive oil, salt, and pepper
• Spread out the brassica pieces on your sheet pan, and roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes
• Dry out the pot you used to boil the pasta and add enough olive oil to coat the whole bottom -- probably around 1/4th cup but I just eyeball it
• Toss in the shallot and fry in the oil on medium heat until starting to brown
• Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant and delicious
• If using, add mushrooms or other veggies. If you're using mushrooms, they will absorb a lot of the oil and liquid in the pan and take a bit longer to cook. If they start to stick to the bottom of the pan, toss in a little bit of the pasta water to deglaze (just a small amount at a time, you don't want to get watery)
• When everything in the pan is cooked to your satisfaction, toss in some italian seasoning and red pepper flakes and let them get into the oil for a moment
• Turn off the heat, add your pasta back to the pan, and stir it all up. If you're using mushrooms you may want to toss in a little more olive oil at this point to make sure all the pasta gets coated, but it may not be necessary.
• Once your brassica is soft and slightly browned on the outside, pop it out of the oven and (carefully) add to the pot. Stir it all up!
• Toss in a little bit of lemon juice. I usually juice 1 lemon and use about half of it. Salt and pepper to taste if needed.
• Serve with parmesan on top!

Notes

This makes a lot of pasta. In my household of 2 people it's about 4 or 5 servings. Obviously you can halve it. I highly recommend the Sfoglini pasta, it's a little pricier than your regular grocery store pasta but it's so worth it. If not using Sfoglini you could probably make this with penne or something like that.

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