Air Fryer or Oven Roasted Italian Vegetables with Whipped Tofu Ricotta

Roasted Italian vegetables garnished with Basil Pesto and sitting on a layer of delicious whipped tofu ricotta sauce, is an amazing combination of flavours and textures. It will compliment any Italian main meal perfectly, or will also be delicious served with toasted crostini or sourdough for a fun and healthy appetiser. The vegetables cook perfectly in the air fryer, or the conventional oven.

Ingredients:

Equipment: food processor or high powered blender, air fryer, or baking tray lined with baking paper

Roasted Italian Vegetables

4 servings

1 large red capsicum or 5 to 7 mini capsicums, seeds removed and chopped into 4 cm (approx1.5 inch) bite sized chunks

2 small zucchini or yellow squash, chopped into 4 cm (approx1.5 inch) bite sized chunks

1 medium eggplant, chopped into 4 cm bite sized chunks

1 small onion, chopped into 4 cm bite sized chunks

2  medium ripe tomatoes chopped or 2 cups cherry tomatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and ground black pepper to taste

1 teaspoon dried oregano (or an Italian seasoning blend)

1 head of garlic cut horizontally in half

2 cups spinach fresh (optional) ADD AFTER the vegetables are finished baking

Whipped Tofu Ricotta

198 grams firm tofu (7 ounces) drained

1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest (zest from 1 unwaxed lemon)

2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice (juice from 1 lemon)

2 tablespoons tomato paste 

1.5 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and Ground Black Pepper to taste

1/4 cup water (add just a little at time to achieve desired consistency)

Garnish (optional)

1/3 cup homemade basil pesto or sundried tomato pesto (I haven't tried it with sundried), preferably freshly made

Method:

Make Roasted Italian Vegetables

Oven Method:

Preheat oven to 218 degrees C (425 degrees F).Line a baking tray with baking paper to save a messy cleanup.

 Tip the vegetables, the chopped red capsicum, zucchini, eggplant, onion, and tomatoes into a large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon oregano, and salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Mix it up, I use my hands.

Place all those beautiful seasoned Italian vegetables on the lined baking tray in one layer. 

The garlic bulb needs special attention. Place the two halves on the baking tray acing upwards, and add a little extra olive oil on top so that they caramelise.

Bake the vegetables uncovered on the middle rack of the oven for 35 to 40 minutes. Give them a toss around on the tray halfway through so that they get crispy around the edges and are fork tender and ready to eat.

As a guide the garlic bulb usually takes about 40 minutes to cook.

Air Fryer Method:

Preheat your air-fryer if you wish to 190 deg C. (I didn't)

Set the timer to 20 minutes and the oven temperature to 190 deg C.

 Tip the vegetables, the chopped red capsicum, zucchini, eggplant, onion and tomatoes into a large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon oregano, and salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Mix it up, I use my hands.

Spray the base of your air-fryer basket with olive oil. Tip all those beautiful seasoned Italian vegetables into your basket. 

The garlic bulb needs special attention. Place the two halves on top of the vegetables in the basket  facing upwards, and add a little extra olive oil on top of the garlic so that they caramelise.

HALFWAY through the cooking time, that is after 10 minutes, give the vegetables a toss with a non-metal spoon, add a little more oil to the garlic halves, keeping them on top of the vegetables, and resume cooking for another 10 minutes. Check at the end of the cooking time that the vegies are cooked and crispy around the edges and are fork tender and ready to eat. Mine were, I was thrilled with the result.

Make the Whipped Tofu Ricotta (this can be done while the Veggies are Roasting or the morning before and kept in the refrigerator)

In a food processor or high powered blender if you have one, add all the ingredients. The drained tofu, lemon zest, lemon juice, tomato paste, garlic powder, sweet paprika, extra virgin olive oil, salt and black pepper to taste.

Whizz it up until smooth. I didn't need to add water, but if you think it needs thinning down slightly, just add water, 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency. You shouldn't need more than 1/4 cup water.

Assemble the Vegetable Platter

Adding Basil Pesto takes this dish to the next level. I used Nagi Maehashi's basil pesto recipe.

The photo doesn't t really do the dish justice, please believe me though, this Italian vegetable combination with pesto is delicious. 

On a large flat plate add the whipped tofu ricotta, and spread to cover the plate.

When the vegetables are done roasting, straight away add the fresh spinach leaves directly to the hot tray of vegetables and toss amongst the other vegetables. The heat will wilt the spinach. You could also cover the tray with alfoil for a few minutes to seal in the heat which will wilt the spinach more quickly.

Add the roasted vegetables to the top of the whipped tofu ricotta. Top just with basil pesto, or sundried tomato pesto. Homemade has the best flavour.

Enjoy when eaten warm with toasted sourdough bread as a starter or you can serve with my Lamb Ragu or another Italian meat dish of your choice.

Cook's notes:

• Try to chop all of your vegetable pieces the same size, to ensure even cooking and that the vegetables are all cooked at the same time.
• I also used yellow capsicum the first time I made this dish, because they were on sale at the supermarket, and they were delicious. (Top photo)
• If you have cooked more than you need for one night, and you wish to eat them over several days, that's ok. Store the roasted vegetables and the prepared tofu ricotta separately.
• Other vegetables can be added such as carrots and potatoes, if they are what you have on hand as well, however they will need to be cooked for an extra 15 minutes in addition to the other roasted vegetables.
• Homemade Basil pesto as a garnish is optional, however it does take this dish to the next level. I love it!
• Using my Air Fryer to bake this dish was such a game changer for me, as it meant I could cook the Lamb Ragu in advance, and have it warming in the oven while I cooked the vegetables in the air fryer. I effectively had two ovens in my kitchen at my disposal..
• This recipe ticks all the boxes as low calorie, suitable for diabetics, it's gluten free, low lactose, vegan and vegetarian.
• I really loved how the vegetables crisped up in the air fryer.

I first saw this recipe on the Healthy World Cuisine website, and was intrigued by it. I could envision it being a delicious side dish to serve with my Italian Lamb Ragu. I'll be honest that I was challenged by the thought of a vegetable sauce using tofu as the creamy element. However, it worked so well. I took it on board with a little trepidation, as I am a cook who doesn't use tofu very much at all. 

The author of the original recipe was HWC Magazine, and what I love is that this vegetable recipe is so adaptable to variations.

Bringing together a meal of Italian Lamb Ragu, these Roasted Italian Vegetables and Mr. HRK's homemade pasta to the table at the same time had it's small challenges with timing and whilst the food was delicious, and worked together perfectly, what suffered was the photo of this vegetable dish, even though I have actually made it twice. 

The first time I added the wilted spinach, and the second time, the basil pesto. I thought both versions were delicious. Mr. HRK said he liked the 2nd version best, when I omitted the spinach and garnished the dish with the addition of my homemade basil pesto. I think the spinach and the pesto could both be added to complete the perfect dish.

Keep on cooking.

Warm wishes,

Pauline