Ingredients
Salt
1 head garlic
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling
1 medium eggplant, ends removed, peeled and cut into small chunks
2-3 medium zucchini, ends removed, cut in half lengthwise and into small chunks
2 red bell peppers, cored and cut into small chunks
1 large onion, cut into small chunks
4 sprigs thyme, leaves removed
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
1 pound whole wheat penne
1/2 cup Italian parsley, chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (a large handful), plus more to pass at the table
Directions
Pre-heat the oven to 450ºF. Place a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a boil. Cut a sliver off the top of the garlic head just large enough to expose the cloves. Tear off a large square of foil and place the garlic in the center. Drizzle a small amount of EVOO over the head and wrap the foil up around it. Place in the oven and roast until golden brown and tender, about 45 minutes. While the garlic is roasting, cut up the veggies and place everything except the tomatoes on a large baking sheet along with the thyme leaves. Once the garlic has been roasting for about 15 minutes, drizzle the veggies with EVOO and season them with some salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast them in the oven until tender and caramelized, about 30 minutes. Once the veggies have been in the oven for about 10 minutes, place the tomatoes onto another baking sheet, drizzle them with EVOO and season them with some salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss them into the oven with the other veggies and roast them until they’ve burst and shriveled up slightly, 15-20 minutes. Once the veggies have about 10 minutes left to go, drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook to al dente, according to the package directions. Drain the cooked pasta, reserving a cup of the pasta cooking liquid, and transfer to a large serving bowl. Once the garlic is done roasting, allow it to get cool enough to handle, then hold the head in your hand over the serving bowl with the pasta and squeeze out all of the roasted cloves into the bowl. Add the reserved pasta water, roasted veggies, tomatoes, parsley and grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese to the bowl and toss it all to combine. Pass some additional Parmigiano Reggiano at the table alongside the bowl of pasta. This is one of many "Yum-o!" recipes – it's good and good for you. To find out more about Yum-o!, Rachael's nonprofit organization, go to www.yum-o.org.