Roasted Vegetable Mafaldine

Name: Roasted Vegetable Mafaldine
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 2 lbs. cherry or baby plum tomatoes; 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and cut into chunks; 1 large yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into chunks; 1 red onion, cut into thin wedges; 3 garlic cloves, unpeeled; 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano; 5 tablespoons olive oil; Salt and pepper; 3 1/4 cups (12 oz) dried mafaldine; 3 1/2 oz. thin green beans, trimmed and halved; A handful of basil leaves; 4 tablespoons grated vegetarian Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

In an excerpt from his entertaining new book, The Story of Pasta, Steven Guarnaccia tells the story of pasta shapes, such as mafaldine, a ribbon pasta with ruffled edges, which gets paired with roasted vegetables in this recipe.

By Steven Guarnaccia

9:00 AM EDT on October 11, 2023

mafaldine with vegetables and cheese — Roasted vegetable mafaldine. Photo: © 2023 by Simon Bajada. Reproduced by permission of Phaidon. All rights reserved.

This roasted vegetable mafaldine recipe comes from The Story of Pasta, available now from Phaidon Press. The book, with colorful illustrations and insightful storytelling by artist and author Steven Guarnaccia, is aimed at children, but it's enjoyable for all—especially when it features recipes such as this. "Mafaldine" is named after a princess, Mafalda, whose wavy hair is said to be the inspiration for this flat ribbon pasta with ruffled edges. (To read more about the author, check out our feature, Steven Guarnaccia Tells 'The Story of Pasta.')

And now for a laid-back supper of ruffly ribbons. Roast some vegetables in the oven while you cook your mafaldine, then toss everything together and presto! Buon appetito!

Roasted Vegetable Mafaldine

Recipe by Heather Thomas

5.0 from 1 vote

Course: pasta, MainCuisine: Italian

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Ingredients

2 lbs. 2 cherry or baby plum tomatoes
1 large 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
1 large 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
1 1 red onion, cut into thin wedges
3 3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1/2 teaspoon 1/2 dried oregano
5 tablespoons 5 olive oil
Salt and pepper
3 1/4 cups 3 1/4 (12 oz) dried mafaldine
3 1/2 oz. 3 1/2 thin green beans, trimmed and halved
A handful of basil leaves
4 tablespoons 4 grated vegetarian Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Put the tomatoes, peppers, red onion, and garlic in a large, ovenproof baking dish. Sprinkle with the oregano and drizzle with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, then stir together with a spoon until everything is glistening with oil.
Roast in the oven for 25–30 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked and tender (see Tip). Squash the tomatoes with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to release their juices. Carefully squeeze the garlic out of their skins.
Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to a boil. Add the mafaldine and cook according to the package directions. About 4 minutes before the end of the stated cooking time, add the beans and cook with the noodles until just tender.
Carefully scoop a ladle or two of the pasta water into a bowl and set aside. Place a colander in the sink, then carefully pour in the cooked pasta and beans to drain.
Add the cooked pasta, beans, and basil to the roasted vegetables, along with 2 tablespoons of the pasta water. Gently stir to coat the pasta in the tomato juices and oil.
Divide between 4 serving plates or shallow bowls and serve sprinkled with the Parmigiano Reggiano.

Notes

Or try this… Use rigatoni, penne, or ziti instead of mafaldine. Instead of basil, stir in some chopped parsley. Drizzle with pesto before serving.
Adapted from The Story of Pasta by Steven Guarnaccia, with recipes by Heather Thomas (Phaidon, US .95, 2023)