Rosted Winter Vegetable Cacio e Pepe
This Roasted Winter Vegetable Cacio e Pepe is a healthier modern twist on the classic Roman dish. Pasta noodles are cooked to perfection and are tossed in creamy, buttery, peppery sauce. Add in some of our favorite winter roasted vegetables, top it off with more parm and you have yourself a tasty meal that whips up in less than 25 minutes making it perfect for those weeknight family dinners!
As personal chefs we love any type of meal that can easily be customized which is exactly why we love this Roasted Winter Vegetable Cacio e Pepe. You can easily change it up by adding whatever vegetables you have on hand but we love adding these classic winter vegetables the most. Another one of our favorite combinations is spinach, green peas and zucchini!
Another one of our favorite ways you can also customize this delicious pasta dish is by adding a high protein pasta like a whole wheat or legume based pasta. This will add protein to your meal as well as give the pasta a little bit more of a chew which really changes the whole dish. We also love using long thick noodles like pappardelle, linguine or tallinge as the noodles really coat well and soak in the sauce. But feel free to use whatever type of pasta you like the best 🙂
This pasta dish is best when eaten fresh but you can also prep a little more and easily use the leftovers, if you have any, as part of your meal prep. If you want to make this dish even faster to make, try using whatever leftover vegetables you may already have roasted from past meals instead of roasting fresh ones.
Roasted Winter Vegetable Cacio e Pepe
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
Makes 2 servings.
Ingredients
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1 cup Brussel Sprouts halved
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2 large Carrots slices
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1 bunch Broccoli Rabe, or Broccolini
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Salt
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Avocado Oil
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¼ cup Grassfed Butter
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12 oz of your favorite Pasta (we love using a high protein pasta like whole wheat or chickpea)
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2-3 tsp Fresh Ground Pepper (depending on tolerance)
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1-2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes (depending on tolerance)
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Approx 1.5 oz/2 cups grated parmesan cheese (optional)
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Optional toppings: Fresh Parm, Fresh Chopped Parsley, or Chopped Walnuts/Pecans
Directions
Step 1
Start by preheating your oven to 400°F.
Step 2
Place your cut brussel sprouts, carrots, and broccoli rabe in a large bowl and toss with avocado oil and salt. Spread out into a single layer over a lined baking sheet and roast for 20-25 minutes or until tender and slightly charred.
Step 3
While your vegetables are roasting, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once boiling add your pasta and cook according to directions, most pastas will take 7 minutes to cook to al daunte but some may take up to 10 minutes.
Step 4
While pasta is cooking, heat up your butter in a skillet over medium heat. Once the butter starts to foam, crack what seems like A LOT of fresh ground pepper into it, and “toast” for 30 seconds to 1 minute until fragrant, then use a ladle and empty 1 ladle of pasta liquid into the skillet and bring to boil. Allow to boil and reduce for 3-5minutes.
Step 5
Once your pasta is done, drain and reserve 1 cup of the pasta water.
Step 6
Once the sauce is reduced add in your drained pasta and roasted veggies to your skillet. Toss until fully combined.
Step 7
For classic cacio e pepe add in parmesan cheese while tossing with your pasta and vegetables. For a dairy free option, omit the cheese and use dairy free butter. If the mixture seems to dry for your liking you can always add in more pasta water.
Step 8
Before serving garnish with fresh parm and chopped parsley. If dairy free try garnishing with chopped walnuts, pecans, or even crispy chickpeas!
This recipe was created by nutritionist and blogger Danielle from Thyme to Nourish, you can check out more of her recipes here.
