Orecchiette with roasted butternut squash, cauliflower and almonds

I recreated a meal that Ellen had when she went out for dinner with her husband to a new restaurant last week. The combination sounded great and since I love roasted veggies (especially butternut squash and cauliflower) I couldn't wait to try this out. My kids loved it. I made a ton of veggies....way more than I needed for the pasta so the amounts in the recipe can vary. You certainly don't need to use as much as is stated in the ingredients. I liked having extra for snacking on while I was in the kitchen cooking. This can easily become a vegan meal by substituting the pasta with any vegan pasta like brown rice or quinoa varieties


Ingredients:

20 oz of butternut squash peeled and cut into chunks
1 head of cauliflower cut into florets
12 oz orecchiette (can use brown rice or quinoa pasta too)
1 cup of prepared pesto
1/2 cup sliced almonds
a few tablespoons of olive oil
salt, pepper

Preparation:

Toss squash and cauliflower with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on two separate baking sheets and put in a 400 degree oven for approximately 35-45 minutes or until brown and caramelized. Toast sliced almonds in dry pan on the stove top just until light brown and fragrant (do not walk away from the pan, almonds brown quickly) Boil pasta according to package directions and toss with prepared pesto. Place caulifower and squash over pasta and sprinkle with toasted almonds.