Mushroom-Broccoli Pasta

Pasta… I’m not a big fan of it but yes, I love making it when I feel lazy to spend long hours in my kitchen! And everytime I toss some, I make sure it’s healthy… One thing is that I always prefer wheat-based pasta and secondly, I add some seasonal stuff into it to make it healthier :)

A few of my favorite tricks:

• Different sauces i.e. Tomato-Basil Sauce, Creamy Garlic Sauce, Soy + Chilly Sauce, Spinach based sauce etc.
• Trying out varieties of oil: Olive Oil, EVOO, Vegetable Oil, Canola, Sesame Oil :P
• Alternates for flavors to be added: Grated Ginger, Burnt Garlic, Spring Onions, Garlic Scapes and many more…
• Some chopped/diced vegetables: Mushrooms (all-time), Green Beans, Carrots, Capsicum, Corn, Broccoli, Canned Beans!!!

While making it this time, I used broccoli, button mushrooms and green beans and tossed everything with a few tablespoons of tomato-basil sauce! As I had a soupy bowl and pull-apart garlic bread to go with it, I didn’t want to make it saucy at all… Here you go with the recipe!!!

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Wheat based Pasta
1/2 tsp Minced Garlic
8-10 Broccoli Florets, blanched & oven-roasted
6-8 Button Mushrooms, cut into halves
5-6 Green Beans, trimmed & cut into 2″ pieces
3/4 cup Pasta Sauce, just for coating
2-3 tbsp Parmesan Cheese
2 tsp Dried Herbs
1/2 tsp Chilly Flakes
2 tsp Olive Oil
Salt, to taste

STEPS TO FOLLOW:

1. Cook pasta in plenty of water until al dente. Strain excess water and rinse with fresh cold water. Keep it aside.\
2. Blanch green beans & broccoli in hot water for 4-5 mins.
3. Pat-dry and oven-roast broccoli florets for 10-12 mins on 200 degrees.
4. Heat oil in a pan and add garlic into it. Saute for a while & add button mushrooms, green beans & broccoli into it.
5. Give a quick stir-fry and add pasta sauce with seasonings & parmesan cheese. Mix everything well and cook it uncovered for a few mins.
6. Add cooked pasta and toss on high heat.
7. Cook for 2-3 mins more and it’s ready to serve!

SJ’s NOTE:

You can add more cheese on top if you want! And keep it saucy if you’re serving it as a full meal :)