As we all know, we must eat our vegetables! I wanted to make a vegetable dish that would last a few days and be just as good as a salad or a warm side dish. So I gathered some of my favorite vegetables and combined them, some cooked, some raw. And I topped it off with toasted walnuts and crispy pancetta. The result is a very satisfying, vegetable packed salad, entrée, or side dish. So much variety out of one little recipe! Of course substitute any vegetables you like.
½ C walnuts, toasted
2 oz. pancetta,
2 globe zucchini, washed and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 red bell pepper, washed, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 red yellow pepper, washed, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large handful of green beans, washed and stemmed
1 small bulb fennel, topped and stemmed and chopped
1 15-oz. can garbanzo beans, drained
3 green onions, sliced
¼ C chopped parsley
½ C olive oil (some for roasting vegetables and some for dressing vegetables)
1 T red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
2 t fresh thyme leaves
Heat oven to 400.
While prepping the vegetables you can toast the walnuts (place on a cookie sheet in a single layer and bake about 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned) and cook the pancetta (cook the same way as you cooked the walnuts).
Lightly oil a large cookie sheet with sides. Place the zucchini, peppers, and green beans on the cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and mix to coat the vegetables. Place in a preheated oven and roast 15-20 minutes or until the vegetables are slightly browned and tender.
While the vegetables roast place the fennel, garbanzo beans, green onion, and parsley in a large bowl. Season with olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Add the roasted vegetables and thyme to the fennel mixture and toss gently to combine.
Mound into a serving dish and garnish with toasted walnuts and cooked pancetta.
Serves 4-6
