Spiralized Vegetable Casserole

1 lg. turnip

¼ purple onion

2 sm. zucchini
2 sm. red potatoes

1 med. sweet potato

2T Tuscan olive oil

½-1t lemon pepper

2 sm. frozen tomatoes

*1t Italian seasonings

*⅔c marinara sauce

2 lg. cloves garlic

1t sugar

Spiralize the first group of vegetables.  Toss them in a big bowl with the oil and lemon pepper.  **Spread on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet.  Bake at 375° for 20 minutes.  Gently stir the vegetables to recoat them with the oil and bake an additional 10 minutes.

**This step could be eliminated, by increasing the baking time below, but roasting adds a lot of flavor.

Partially thaw the tomatoes.  After an hour or so, the skins will slip right off.  When they're at the popsicle stage, dice and combine them with the remaining four ingredients in a medium size pan. *(I switched to these two, instead of the ajvar and curry shown in the first photo.)  Simmer over low-medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Put the vegetable-noodles back in the big bowl, toss with the sauce, then put into a covered casserole.  Return to the oven--with the heat now reduced to 350°--to heat for 10 minutes  **(or if not pre-roasted, bake for 30-45 minutes until the vegetables are all crisp-tender.)  Garnish with toasted pine nuts, chopped pecans or cashews, grated parmesan cheese or fresh chopped herbs.

Serve with grilled chicken or fish, or alone, for a vegan main dish. . .Lin