Roasted Baby Squash on Whole Wheat Pasta—A Trip to the Farmers Market

Roasted medley of baby squash on whole wheat pasta shells.

The Sunday farmers market in Sebastopol, California.

Buying baby squash at the market.

Baby yellow and green zucchini, patty pan and lemon squash.

Squash, onions, tomatoes, garlic and seasoning in the roasting pan.


Sunday I visited my local farmers market in the Sebastopol town square. It was a nice sunny day and there was almost a party atmosphere with happy crowds walking around with their eco-friendly canvas bags. Besides the usual farmers and their wonderful produce, there was a guitar player on stage, a vegetarian tamale stand next to a vendor selling Indian curry. The aromas were amazing! There were bakers selling freshly made whole grain breads (my husband bought a whole grain, walnut sourdough) and farmers selling fresh eggs. You could buy hand made cheeses, flowers, fresh honey and fish that was caught that morning. Why on earth would anyone go to a supermarket when you can have a shopping experience like this?

People in America have gotten so disconnected from their food. Most people don’t even know what food they are eating since it came out of a box that has 20 mysterious ingredients listed, most of which were derived from corn. (For more on this, watch the documentary called, “King Corn”). So I thought I would take you to the market today, buy the ingredients from a local organic farmer, and show you how to make fresh, tasty, roasted baby vegetables and mix them with a hardy, protein and fiber rich whole wheat pasta. As is, the dish is vegan but others could serve this topped with goat cheese or parmesan.

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Roasted Medley of Baby Squash on Whole Wheat Pasta [Serves 4]
5 cups of mixed baby squash, cut in quarters or eighths
2 cups sliced onions (1 cup yellow and 1 cup red)
2 cups fresh tomatoes, cut in eighths and drained
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons fresh basil
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary (or 1/2 teaspoon dry)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dry)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey (or agave syrup)
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 pound whole wheat pasta shells (or your favorite shape)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Fill a large pot with water and salt and get ready to boil pasta. Lightly oil a large roasting pan and set aside. Cut the baby yellow and green zucchini in quarters length wise and then in half so you have a large julienne. Cut the lemon and patty pan squash in quarters or eighths depending on their size. Put them in a large bowl. Add the drained tomatoes, garlic and herbs. In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, salt and pepper. Pour this mixture over the vegetables and mix well. Spread the mixture out in the large roasting pan. Bake in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the squash is soft. Prepare the pasta according to directions while the squash is baking. Mix the roasted squash with the pasta and serve. You can garnish with more chopped basil. Top with nutritional yeast, as a vegan option, or others can top with crumbled goat cheese or parmesan.

Per serving: 357 calories, 8 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 10.3 g protein, 62.3 g carbohydrates and 8.8 g of fiber.

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