Sunday Supper: Back to School Edition

Tonight's Sunday Supper: Rotini w/roasted chickpeas & vegetables
Tonight's Sunday Supper Soundtrack: "Fire Within," Birdy

First Sunday supper of the school year!  After a week of getting back into the swing of things, getting up early, and getting used to only having a few hours a day to get things done (rather than the whole day), I decided it was a good day for a nice, simple, hearty meal.  This recipe takes awhile just due to the roasting time, but the active time is pretty minimal, and if you already have roasted vegetables left over from another meal it will be even quicker!  Otherwise, make sure you start the vegetables about 45 minutes before you actually want to eat.

Roasting is probably my favorite way to prepare vegetables.  There’s something about a nice pan of roasted vegetables that’s just irresistible.  For this recipe, I decided to throw in some roasted chickpeas, because I needed a protein to add and I figured hey, why not?  I used carrots and broccoli for the vegetables because that’s what I had on hand, but you could really use anything that roasts well.


Once the chickpeas and vegetables were done, it was a simple matter of cooking the pasta, tossing everything together, and ta-da!  Dinner!  I used some Daiya cheddar cheese because that was all I had, but vegan parmesan would be better.


Verdict: Excellent!  This recipe required a little bit of planning ahead, since I needed to allow time for the vegetables to roast, but the actual on my feet time was pretty low, it only used a few dishes, and there were plenty of leftovers for my lunch tomorrow--always a consideration once the school year starts!

Ingredients:
1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 medium sized carrots, chopped
1 medium sized broccoli crown, chopped
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 lb. rotini (or other pasta)
1/2 cup vegan cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 425F.  In a large bowl, toss together the chickpeas, carrots, broccoli, 2 tbsp. olive oil, salt, pepper, and herbs.  Set the bowl aside for later (don’t wash yet).  Spread the vegetables and chickpeas in a roasting dish and roast for 35 minutes, turning halfway through.

Once the vegetables and chickpeas are about halfway done, cook the pasta according to package directions.  Drain, then put the pasta in the bowl from before and toss with the remaining tbsp. of olive oil.  When the vegetables and chickpeas are done, add them to the bowl and toss everything together.  If using, add the vegan cheese, and serve.