Recipe: Quick and Healthy Pasta

I had every intention of revisiting my Ropa Vieja recipe, complete with pictures and tales of Cuban hole-in-the-wall joints that serve the best food in Florida. But then lunch happened. I am now in a meat-coma, and cannot even bring myself to write about a carnivorous meal. I feel a detox is in order!

I have a go-to favorite dinner that takes precisely almost no time, is healthy, and tastes like heaven. So why the heck haven’t I shared this with you before? Good question. I have no answer. I think it may be because it is, in fact, so easy to make that I thought it is not good enough for a blog post. But then, when I think about the recipes I look for, I always want something easy and customizable. And like all of my recipes, this one is highly customizable!

A couple of words about cheese before I give you the recipe. I am seriously becoming a cheese snob. Quality makes a HUGE difference in this arena. Sure, certain ingredients are  perfectly fine to go with a generic, but with cheese, generics just don’t cut it (get it…cut the cheese…see what I did there?). My 2 favorite cheeses to cook with, of late, are both found at Russo’s. The first is an imported grated romano. The second is locally produced Purity Cheese Co. Ricotta. And I would like to point out that even though both of these cheeses are high quality cheeses, they are still extremely affordable (the ricotta is under $3 and the romano just over). That is why it is SO important to research your products and local shopping resources! I haven’t bought a mass market brand since I discovered these. OK, off my high horse and on to the recipe!

Don’t forget to enter to win Pepperidge Farm Deli Flats!

Easy Pasta & Veggies (Good Enough for Company!)

Ingredients

• Olive Oil
• 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
• 1/2 Vidalia onion (chopped)
• 1 small green pepper (chopped)
• 1 small red pepper (chopped)
• 1 can diced tomatoes (flavored is fine. In season I would use 1 large fresh diced tomato)
• Red pepper flakes, or hot pepper powder of some sort, to taste (optional)
• Fresh grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
• 1/2 packet of your favorite angel hair pasta (I use Barilla Plus…lots of protein!)
• Ricotta Cheese to top

Directions

• Start cooking your pasta
• Place about 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large saute pan.
• Add chopped garlic to oil and let it marinade as you prep the remainder of your ingredients
• Heat pan on medium-high
• When pan is hot, add the onions.
• Cook until they begin to become translucent, add the peppers
• Cook for approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
• Add the tomatoes and let simmer for an additional 5 minutes
• Add the hot pepper (optional) and stir well
• The pasta should be ready by now. Using tongs, remove the pasta from the water and add it to your sauce, little by little, stirring after each addition
• Let simmer for about 3 minutes
• Add the desired amount of Parmesan or Romano cheese and stir well
• Serve pasta with a generous scoop of ricotta on top