Penne With Too Many Vegetables
The title is misleading because there is no such thing as too many vegetables. But if you are looking for super filling and delicious yet still quite low calorie pasta recipe, look no further! Feel free to change it up or omit a vegetable if you are not a big fan of one or depending on what you happened to have available. You can also use frozen vegetables but I recommend that you thaw them out first so you don’t add too much water to the recipe. I happen to love cauliflower and broccoli with pasta but if you can’t stand cauliflower, just double the broccoli or vice versa. If you are vegan, just omit the cheese or swap it out for a vegan alternative. You can definitely use gluten free pasta if you want. If you love a hearty bowl of pasta but are looking for some healthy or lower calorie swaps, this is a good recipe to try. The whole pan is about 850 calories, 32 g of protein, 12 g of fat and 26 g of fiber. I would say this serves about 3 people or 2 very hungry people. Per serving if serving 3 people it is 284 cal per serving, 11 g of protein, 4 g of fat, and 9 g of fiber.
Ingredients:
3 tbsp olive oil or butter
4 cloves minced garlic
1/2 yellow onion small diced or ~1 cup small diced yellow onion
2 cups chopped cauliflower
2 cups chopped broccoli (I prefer tender stem but use what you have)
2 tbsp capers
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (If using dried about a tbsp)
Juice from 1 lemon
salt and pepper to taste (I prefer to use herb salt)
Pinch of chili flake
1 1/2 cup dried penne pasta
3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
Recipe:
Start by chopping all the veggies. I like to slice the cauliflower then chop it crossways so that the pieces are small. The recipe uses about half a head of cauliflower chopped. So I will reserve the other half for another meal or go ahead and roast it off with oil salt and pepper to add to bowls, wraps, sandwiches, or salads later in the week. Same for the broccoli. Make sure it is chopped relatively small so everything will cook at the same pace. Once all the veg is ready, bring a medium pot of water to boil, salt the water and cook the penne per the instructions. I prefer to stop just shy of completely done because you will add the pasta to the veggie saute at the end to finish cooking.
Put 2 tbsp of olive oil or butter in a large skillet and add the onions and a pinch of salt. Allow to cook 1-2 minutes before adding the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
Then add the cauliflower, broccoli and capers. Saute for 2 minutes then add about 4 tbsp of pasta water to help soften the vegetables and cook another 2 minutes. Add the peas, pinch of chili flake and lemon juice. Continue to stir and cook until the broccoli is soft but not mushy.
4. Add more pasta water as needed to cook the veg then add the penne and the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil as well as about 1/4 cup more of pasta water and toss the penne and vegetables until a nice light sauce has formed and everything is cooked and combined. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve up with an additional tbsp of grated parmesan cheese.
Nutritional Information:
3 servings approximately
284 cal/serving, 11g protein, 4g of fat, 9g of fiber
