Warm pasta salad with baked autumn vegetables

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp coarse salt + extra for cooking pasta
• 0.5 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 cloves garlic, grated
• 0.5 cups extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup butternut squash, finely diced
• 1 head of broccoli, cut into small florets
• 1 red onion, finely diced
• 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
• 1 medium zucchini, finely diced
• 350 g of penne, rotini or similar pasta
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 12 torn fresh basil leaves
• 3/4 tbsp. grated parmesan
• 0.5 cups cooked lentils (canned is fine), optional

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 220°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine tomato paste, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic, and 1/4 cup olive oil. Add the squash, broccoli, onion, bell pepper, and zucchini. Stir to coat the vegetables with the tomato paste mixture.
3. Place the vegetables in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until the vegetables are tender and golden brown, 40–45 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, bring a saucepan of water to a boil and add generous amounts of salt. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente.
5. In the same vegetable bowl, add the roasted vegetables and pasta, parsley, basil, the remaining 1/4 cup oil, cheese, and lentils, if using. Toss well. Serve warm.