Rotelle Pasta with Roasted Zucchini and Balsamic Butter

This turned out to be a really easy and delicious dinner. For my own little twist on this recipe I reduced the balsamic with 2 cloves of minced garlic, speaking of which you better like garlic if you want to enjoy this dish! My other addition was tossing fresh oregano and basil. I didn't have asparagus on hand (which is what the original recipe called for) but I had loads of zucchini so I subbed that in instead. This dish has a lot of flavor without a lot of work. Below is how the roasted zucchini should look.

Just for fun I served it in a bowl with the zucchini lining the perimeter. The picture didn't turn out super well but I threw it in just for kicks.

Ingredients:

4 oz whole wheat Rotelle pasta

2 large zucchini (550g)
2 tsp grape seed oil
1/8 teaspoons salt

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon brown sugar

2 cloves garlic, minced
small pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tbsp (14g) butter, cut into pieces
1/3 cup (28g) grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

2 tbsp fresh chopped basil

2 tsp fresh chopped oregano

Instructions:

Heat the oven to 400°.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil then lightly coat with oil. Cut the zucchini into 1/4 inch thick rounds. Place the zucchini on a baking sheet and use a misto to lightly coat the rounds with oil (if you don't have a misto lightly drizzle oil). Evenly distribute the salt, black pepper and dried thyme over the zucchini. Lightly grate Parmesan over the top. Roast until tender, about 20 minutes.
 

Meanwhile, put the vinegar and garlic in a small saucepan. Simmer until thickened and about 2 tablespoons remain. Stir in the brown sugar and the cayenne pepper (go really easy on the cayenne, it's hot!). Remove from the heat.

Cook the Rotelle in a medium pot of boiling water until just done, about 13 minutes. Drain the pasta and toss with the butter, vinegar, zucchini, Parmesan, oregano, basil and salt and black pepper to taste if desired. Top with additional Parmesan. 

Serves 2

Adapted from Food and Wine