Meat Free Monday: Roasted Vegetable Linguine with Torn Fresh Basil

This week’s meat-free recipe was made possible by my dear friend, Nicole.  She was kind enough to loan me a few copies of her Vegetarian Times magazines so I can try it out before subscribing.  After going through just one magazine, I had marked 12 pages with either recipes or information I wanted to share with you all.  That’s when the hubby, who is not 100% on board with this meat-free stuff, said to me, “why don’t you just subscribe to the magazine?”  Well, um, okay!  :-)  So it’s done, I’m now an official subscriber and really should get these magazines back to Nicole…

Today’s recipe was from a February issue, so it’s all about love and Valentine’s Day.  The note for this recipe says:

“Asparagus spears are packed with vitamin E – aka the sex vitamin for its ability to boost fertility and stamina.  As for basil, Italians know the herb by another name:  “kiss-me Nicholas.” 

Somehow I think the hubby will be on board with this meat-free Monday recipe! 

Roasted Vegetable Linguine with Torn Fresh Basil

Click here for printable version

Ingredient List

Serves 6

•  
• 2 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms
• 1/2 lb. fresh or frozen asparagus, cut into 11/2-inch pieces
• 1 small onion, coarsely chopped (1 cup)
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 13.25-oz. pkg. whole-wheat or white linguine
• 1/2 cup torn fresh basil leaves

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss together mushrooms, asparagus, onion, oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes in large roasting pan. Roast 20 minutes, or until mushrooms and onions begin to brown, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

2. Add tomatoes to pan, and roast 7 to 10 minutes more, or until tomatoes shrivel and soften. Transfer vegetables to bowl. Add wine to roasting pan, stirring to scrape off any stuck-on bits from bottom of pan. Place roasting pan on burner over medium heat, and simmer 2 to 3 minutes, or until wine has evaporated by half; or return roasting pan to oven 5 minutes, and let wine cook off.

3. Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta, and reserve 1/2 cup cooking water. Stir reserved cooking water into reduced wine in roasting pan.

4. Return pasta to pot. Add wine mixture and vegetables, and toss over medium-low heat until heated through. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Stir in torn fresh basil leaves, and serve immediately.

Nutritional Information

Per 1 1/2-cup serving: Calories: 208, Protein: 7g, Total fat: 5g, Saturated fat: 1g, Carbs: 37g, Cholesterol: mg, Sodium: 15mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugars: 6g