easy vegetable pasta

This is simply lots of chopped veggies simmered in pasta sauce and herbs, and served steaming over your favorite pasta. For even greater ease, use a food processor to slice the veggies.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium zucchini
• 3-4 assorted sweet peppers
• 6-8 mushrooms
• 1 small onion
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 jar pasta sauce
• 1 tsp minced garlic or garlic paste
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 box gluten- or grain-free penne or other pasta
• 1 tsp olive oil
• shredded or grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Equipment:

• cutting board
• knife
• measuring spoons
• large sauté pan
• medium pot
• strainer or colander

How to:

Wash and chop the zucchini and mushrooms. Peel and chop the onion. Remove the cap, membrane and seeds from the peppers and slice them. Set two quarts of salted water to boil, covered, in the medium pot, over high heat. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in the sauté pan over medium heat until shimmering.

Add the vegetables and cook, stirring frequently, until crisp-tender. Stir in the garlic, dried basil and oregano, salt and pepper. Stir in the pasta sauce. Bring to bubbling, then lower heat to medium low.

Allow to simmer uncovered.

The water for the pasta should now be boiling. Follow directions on box to cook pasta. Drain pasta in colander, add about 1 tsp olive oil to the pot, spreading it around, then add the pasta back to the pot, stirring a little to coat it with the oil. By now the sauce should have cooked down and thickened a bit.

Immediately plate the pasta with generous portions of the sauce. Sprinkle liberally with parmesan cheese, if desired. Serve immediately.