The text message from my sister Caitie came through innocently enough:

Do you have any desire for a massive zucchini?

Not quite sure where my trickster sister was headed with this, I replied:

What kind of a question is that?!

Turns out, a friend of her mother-in-law gave her mother-in-law a big zucchini.  The mother-in-law gave it to Caitie.  Caitie then gave it to my mom to pass on to me.  My mom dropped it off the other day while driving through my neighborhood. Quite an adventure for one oversized yet humble vegetable!

My sister wasn’t kidding when she said it was massive.

I had to tame this monstrosity.  Make another loaf of zucchini-banana bread?  Perhaps a bowl of linguine with zucchini, tomatoes and basil?  I opened the fridge and saw an assortment of fresh veggies begging to be used, so I roasted them up and made a quick sauce.

I make a variation on this dish a few times a month – I don’t really follow a recipe because it is entirely dependent upon what I have in the kitchen.  Sometimes I serve it on penne, but lately I’ve been topping spaghetti squash with it. This would probably be excellent in lasagna, too.  The other night I just ladled it into bowls and tossed in a link of Italian sausage.

I showed that zucchini who was the boss!

Roasted Veggie Sauce (makes about 6-8 cups)

2 large baking sheets of cut vegetables – zucchini, eggplant, red and green peppers, tomatoes (cherry tomatoes are the best!), onion, garlic, etc

Olive oil

Salt, pepper

Crushed red pepper flakes (if you like a little heat)

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Fresh basil, if desired

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Toss cut vegetables in olive oil, salt and pepper. At this point it always looks so fresh and pretty that I’m tempted to just eat it as a salad.

Spread out on a single layer on the baking sheets.  Roast for 25 minutes or so – until all the veggies are tender.

Drop roasted vegetables into a food processor and add in a generous shaving of Parmesan.  Toss in some fresh basil, too.  Turn the processor on until the desired consistency is reached – add in a bit of water if you want to thin it out.

Serve like you would any pasta sauce.