Veggie Pasta with Roasted Tomato, Red Pepper, and Cauliflower Sauce

This concoction is a product of one of my famous freestyling kitchen binges (benders? psychotic breaks?). It has so many different flavors, textures, and antioxidants I could cry. The sauce is both creamy and acidic, and has that subtle sweetness you get when you roast vegetables. It balances out the heavier notes of the garlic and caramelized onions, and helps to perfectly incorporate the broccoli and kale, without being overpowering. I finished it off with a few sundried tomatoes to really build on that complex tomato flavor, and topped my bowl of pasta with a few kale chips for added texture. I don't mean to toot my own horn here but *drives down Lake Shore Drive honking at everyone on the road*

Ingredients (makes exactly 2 servings):
• Half box of whole grain rotini (about 6-7 oz)
• Half small sweet onion, sliced
• Half head of broccoli, cut into florets
• Quarter head of cauliflower, cut into small florets
• 1.5 cups of kale (de-stemmed and cut into bite sized pieces) plus a few extra leaves for the kale chip garnish (stemmed and cut into 1 inch pieces)
• 3-4 sundried tomatoes, cut in quarters
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 cup of small tomatoes, halved (I used cherry, grape, and sunshine yellow cherry)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• Cayenne powder
• Cracked black pepper
• Sea salt

Directions:
• Cook pasta according to package instructions. Save about 1/3 cup of the pasta water before draining
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Place tomatoes and red pepper on lined baking sheet
• Place cauliflower on separate lined baking sheet. Drizzle very slightly with olive oil
• Bake toms/peps/caulis for about 10-15 minutes, rotating pepper halfway through
Note: cauliflower will need more time to turn golden, so remove tomatoes and peppers first to avoid burning (hence the separate baking sheets)
• While veggies are roasting, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil on medium high heat and add onions. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper and let caramelize until nice and golden brown (about 5-6 minutes)
• Add broccoli and just a pinch more salt, sauté until bright green and tender
• Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute
• Add kale and cook down until tender. Toss in sundried tomatoes, and remove skillet from heat
• Once roasted, remove cauliflower, peppers, and tomatoes from oven. Let cool completely before removing stem and seeds of red bell pepper. Make sure to also peel off the black charred skins from the tomatoes and pepper. These are tough to chew and won’t blend into the sauce
• Place your smaller cut leaves of kale on a baking sheet with a drizzle of olive oil, and let those bake for about 5 minutes in the oven until crispy.
• Add roasted veggies to a blender or food processor and pulse to incorporate. Add your saved pasta water in small increments, and continue blending until smooth. Add in a drizzle of olive oil as well as salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste (taste before adding salt. your pasta water may be salty enough) 
• Add cooked pasta to the skillet with the broccoli/kale and pour sauce over top. Turn heat on low and stir to combine, allowing veggies, pasta, and sauce to heat through and giving all of the flavors a chance to marry..as they say
• Scoop yourself a fat bowl, top with your baby kale chips, and enjoy!! I like to sprinkle on some red pepper flakes too :)