By August 2020. The summer is in its last weeks and I am preparing for fall semester, my senior year second semester, and the fellowship beginning in September. I have been organizing the apartment to accommodate more study time, which mostly means moving Biscuit territory around the edges and acknowledging that some battles are not worth fighting.
Made a big batch of tomato sauce from the last good tomatoes of summer, slow-roasted in the oven first to concentrate the flavor, then blended with garlic that I had roasted whole, olive oil, basil from the windowsill. Eight jars. This will last through October. Every time I open one of those jars in November I will have this August in it, the smell of late summer in Alabama, tomatoes from the farmers market, basil that grew in a window facing east.
Porch visit with Gloria. She has been talking about wanting to see the inside of the apartment in Birmingham. I told her she can come whenever the numbers allow and she said: soon. I said: soon. James said through the screen: I would like to see where you live. I said: I will make you the best meal you have ever had in my apartment. He said: that is a very bold claim given what I have had at this table. I said: I know. He smiled. It was a good exchange. I keep the good exchanges. They accumulate into the substance of a life.
That batch of eight jars was really the whole point of late August for me — the idea that I could seal something good and carry it forward into the harder, darker months. This spicy veggie pasta bake is exactly the kind of dish those jars were made for: rich with roasted tomatoes, bright with garlic and olive oil, the kind of meal I imagined making for James when he finally came to see where I lived. Bold enough to back up a claim like that.
Spicy Veggie Pasta Bake
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 40 min | Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 12 oz penne or rigatoni pasta
- 2 lbs ripe roma tomatoes, halved
- 1 whole head of garlic
- 1 medium zucchini, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Roast the tomatoes and garlic. Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange halved tomatoes cut-side up on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Slice the top off the head of garlic, drizzle with a little olive oil, wrap in foil, and place alongside the tomatoes. Roast for 35–40 minutes until tomatoes are caramelized and garlic is soft and golden.
- Cook the pasta. While the tomatoes roast, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta 2 minutes shy of package directions (it will finish in the oven). Drain and set aside.
- Sauté the vegetables. Heat the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and cook 3–4 minutes until softened. Add bell pepper and zucchini and cook another 4 minutes. Stir in red pepper flakes, oregano, and smoked paprika.
- Build the sauce. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins directly into the skillet. Add the roasted tomatoes and all their juices. Crush everything together with a wooden spoon or potato masher until a chunky sauce forms. Taste and adjust salt and heat.
- Combine and bake. Reduce oven to 375°F. Add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss well to coat in the sauce. Scatter fresh basil over the top. Cover with mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake uncovered for 15–20 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbling with golden edges.
- Rest and serve. Let the bake rest 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with additional fresh basil and a drizzle of olive oil if desired.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 380 | Protein: 15g | Fat: 13g | Carbs: 52g | Fiber: 4g | Sodium: 390mg