Whole-Wheat Pasta with Roasted Vegetable-Tomato Sauce

Here's a deliciously hearty and healthy main dish. The vegetables are cut large enough to give texture and color, but they cook down to tender sweetness. I make the sauce and then serve over whole wheat penne pasta. With a salad on the side, you have a great meal!

Roasted Vegetable-Tomato Sauce
Makes 4-6 servings.

1 purple onion, cut into chunks
1 yellow or white onion, cut into chunks
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1- inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 package (8 ounce) whole mushrooms, quartered
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 can (28 ounces) fire-roasted diced tomatoes, with juice
2 tablespoons Italian herb seasoning

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Place vegetables and garlic in a large roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and red pepper. Stir to coat.

Bake 15 minutes, stirring halfway through. Add tomatoes and Italian herbs and stir. Bake 20 t0 30 minutes more until vegetables are tender.

Remove from oven and serve sauce over cooked pasta. (I use whole wheat penne.) Garnish with grating of Parmesan cheese.

Note: Next time I make this, I am going to add Italian sausage to the sauce. Just slice a couple links sweet Italian sausage and brown separately in olive oil. Stir into sauce during last ten minutes of cooking.

Wine pairing: This cries out for the tastes of Italy. Try the Tuscan Sangiovese/Merlot blend Santa Cristina from the Antinori winery. It's fresh and fruity with enough Sangiovese dustiness to complement the earthy vegetables and herbs. Or upgrade to a Chianti like the Castello di Querceto Chianti Classico Riserva. It's a ratings winner with even fuller body and firmer tannins.