Roasted Veggies in a Creamy Red Pepper & Tomato Sauce

1

Start by soaking cashews in hot water.

2

Slice zucchini and potatoes into ¼ inch medallions. Leave the potatoes to soak in cold water.

3

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a 10-inch oven-safe pan over low-medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened slightly, about 5 minutes. Add chopped garlic, cover and let cook another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4

While the onion and garlic are cooking, loosely chop the fresh basil. Set aside half, about 3 tablespoons, and mix the other half in with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Make sure the basil is fully mixed into the olive oil.

5

Add in the diced red pepper to the onion and garlic. Turn the heat up to medium-high and add in the spices, including the other half of the fresh basil, and crushed tomatoes. Once sauce begins to simmer, reduce it to low and let it cook covered for 15 minutes.

6

While the sauce is cooking, quickly blanch the potatoes. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Drop sliced potatoes in boiling water for 3 minutes - until slightly tender. Remove from water and pat dry with a clean dish towel.

7

Preheat the oven to 375F.

8

Once the sauce is done cooking, remove it from the heat to cool slightly. Rinse soaked cashews and add them to a blender or food processor with 1 cup of the sauce. Blend until creamy and smooth. Add the blended sauce back to the pan and stir well to combine both sauces together.

9

Stack the veggie slices, alternating between zucchini and potato, in the sauce. Start from the outer edge and work your way into the middle of the pan.

10

Brush the top of the veggies with half of the basil infused olive oil. Then cover with foil and place on the middle rack in the oven. Cook for 30-40 minutes, until veggies are tender but not mushy.

11

Remove the foil and brush the top of the veggies with the remainder of the basil infused olive oil. Cook uncovered another 10 minutes, until tops crisp up.

12

Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.