Monday was a funny day in the ‘kitch. That’s when I wrote this post.
I went over to my refrigerator with a plan to make a roasted vegetable pasta. Pretty simple, right? I was thinking roasted onions and honey-roasted carrots with slivered toasted almonds. Sounded good to me- a basic winter pasta.
So, I chopped up all the vegetables and looked at my cutting board. It was too blah. Not enough flavor.
I went back into the fridge and immediately saw my pearl onions I bought over the weekend, with intentions of slow roasting them for dinner one night, alongside some salmon. Well, goodbye dinner planning and hello blog recipe!
This bowl of pasta still has that roasted vegetable element but more dimension and flavor. By lightly marinading the pearl onions in balsamic vinegar, the onions absorb that balsamic flavor as they roast. When you dig your fork into this pasta, you’re met with a soft onion, soft zucchini noodle, tasty asparagus and crunchy pine nut. The pearl onions almost become glazed in the balsamic – they’re luxurious and surprising.
I’m happy I ditched the carrot and onion idea, because this may become one of my new easy go-to winter pastas. Blade A works perfectly here, because it offers a heartiness to an otherwise simplistic, light dish.
Did I forget the dusting of Parmesan at the end? Instead of mixing the Parmesan into the pasta in the skillet, I lightly dusted the dish, so the flavors of the vegetables really shine.
I loved this dish so much that I packaged it in a to-go container and brought it to my doormen. Let’s just say that I may quickly become their favorite resident. Tehe. Bribery always works!
New to Inspiralized? Don’t know how to spiralize a zucchini? I’ve got you covered – you can watch me spiralize a zucchini on YouTube or Vimeo!
Balsamic Roasted Pearl Onions, Asparagus & Toasted Pine Nuts with Zucchini Pasta
Ingredients
- 6 asparagus stalks
- olive oil to drizzle
- 8 white pearl onions peeled*
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 tsp dried rosemary
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1.5 tbsp pine nuts
- 1.5 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large garlic clove minced
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 3 zucchinis Blade A
- 1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Take your asparagus, snap off the bottoms and slice them into 2" pieces.
- On a baking tray, place in your asparagus pieces and drizzle with olive oil. Mix together to coat and set aside.
- Place the pearl onions and balsamic vinegar in a bowl and toss to combine. Place the pearl onions on the baking tray with the asparagus.
- Season the asparagus and onions with salt, pepper, thyme and rosemary. Roast the vegetables in the oven for 25 minutes. Toss halfway through.
- Place a small skillet over medium heat and add in the pine nuts. Let cook for a couple minutes. Once you can smell the pine nuts toasting, flip them over and cook another couple minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- 20 minutes into roasting the vegetables, place a large skillet over medium heat and add in the olive oil. Then, add in the garlic, cook for 30 seconds and then add in the red pepper flakes and zucchini noodles. Toss the zucchini noodles for 2-3 minutes or until tender.
- When done, divide the noodles into two bowls and top each with even amounts of asparagus and pearl onions. Top with 1/2 tbsp of parmesan cheese per bowl. Garnish each with parsley and pine nuts.
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