I hate to say it, but I think I’m over winter vegetables. Don’t get me wrong, I love meals with simple roasted root vegetables with olive oil and garlic, but, I seriously crave fresh Summer tomatoes and grilled corn…and sugar snap peas… I do enjoy all seasons, but I’m ready to end this Winter chapter and move on. I am so looking forward to seeing the trees bud and daffodils and lillies…Ok, I’m getting ahead of myself.
Tonight’s dinner. I had some Brussels sprouts in my fridge that needed to be used. I was going to make a raw, slivered salad with a light honey dijon, white balsamic vinegar dressing, but decided against it and made something up instead. I had some shallots, tiny pasta shells, breadcrumbs, pecorino and Bulgarian feta. So, I mixed it all together in a 9×13 baking dish and roasted it for about 45 min, or until the Brussels were crispy. I added the chopped almonds last minute (read: after I put the dish in the oven for 5 minutes) and I’m glad I did because they gave the dish a nice crunch. I have to say, it was pretty freaking delicious and super simple. Mind you, I didn’t really measure anything, so, just eyeball the ingredients until you’re satisfied with how it comes together.
- 1 bag/container of Brussels sprouts, thinly sliced
- 1- 1 1/2c. tiny pasta shells cooked, al dente
- 1 medium shallot, sliced
- olive oil
- 1/3c. bread crumbs
- 1/3C shredded Pecorino cheese
- Handful of crumbled Bulgarian feta
- Handful of chopped almonds (or, hazelnuts if you have them)
- Crushed red pepper
- Salt/pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cook pasta until al dente, drain. Wash, trim and thinly slice the Brussels sprouts, add both to the 9×13 baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil. (You can also spray the baking dish with cooking spray). Add bread crumbs (I used the Progresso Italian ones rather than the Panko breadcrumbs I also had on hand), shallots, almonds, shredded pecorino and feta. You can stir it up at this point if you choose. Bake at 400 for about 35-45 minutes, or until the Brussels sprouts are browned. I prefer them a bit crispy. I had the meal with a nice, crisp white wine (Grüner). Hey, it was a long work day. Oof. I’m sure there are typos above.