Well, it’s been about a month since I began this journey, so I figured it was time to finally get a recipe posted. I want to get one thing out of the way immediately. I don’t particularly *like* to cook. Actually, that’s not completely accurate. I do like to cook – it’s the cleaning up that I loathe. My hubby and I have a deal that says whenever I choose to cook, he’ll handle the clean up. There’s only one problem with that. His idea of clean up is throwing everything in the sink to ‘soak.’ Yeah, right, gotcha honey. Anyway, the reason I’m blathering on and on with all this useless information is simply to let you know that if I’m posting a recipe, it’s got to be two things: Tasty and E-A-S-Y.
This first one I’m going to share is a big-time favorite of ours. My husband (Jimmy – have you met?) has been known to refer to it as pasta crack, if that’s any indication. I originally found it through Weight Watchers, but I’ve since tweaked it to make it my own. Please keep in mind that I have never, *ever* written out a recipe on my own, so go easy on me here if I make any errors. Also, with this particular recipe, you can make many, many alterations to make this recipe your own, as well. The possibilities are endless.
Ingredients:
1 lb. whole wheat pasta (any shape - we prefer penne or rotini)
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1 t. sugar
3 t. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 T. shredded parmesan
2 bell peppers (any color – mix it up, and make it bright and pretty!)
1 bunch asparagus
½ cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
Salt, Pepper, Dried Basil to taste (or use the fresh stuff if you’re a snob)
Directions:
1. Wash and dry all vegetables. Slice the asparagus into 1-inch pieces and cook via your favorite method. (I use those Steam bags from Ziploc, and nuke the suckers for about 2 minutes).
2. Cut the peppers into 1-inch square pieces. Add 1 teaspoon of the olive oil to a non-stick pan and sauté the peppers until tender. (Note the bland, yet Christmas-y colors I had to work with. That's what happens when you send hubby to the vegetable market to get 'bright, fun' colors.)
3. Chop the sundried tomatoes in a large dice and set aside.
4. In the meantime, start a pot of salted water boiling and add the pasta.
5. In a large bowl, add the vinegar, sugar, garlic, and cheese and whisk together.
6. When the pasta is finished, drain and return to the same pot. Add in the remaining two teaspoons of olive oil and stir.
7. Add the pasta to the large bowl containing the vinegar mixture. Add in remaining vegetables (asparagus, peppers, and sundried tomatoes).
8. Stir well, and season with salt, pepper, and basil to taste.
My FAVORITE thing about this recipe is that it makes oodles of leftovers, that are great to take with you anywhere (it’s that whole temperature thing, remember?). Also, you can add or subtract just about anything you want. In fact, I usually make this with the addition of a poblano or jalapeno pepper, to give it a little bit of a kick. If you choose to go the spicy route, just remember to sauté the hotties with the boring bell peppers.
Disclaimer: The finished product shown here was taken the *last* time I made this pasta salad (note the prettier colors!) I admit, I spaced and forgot to take the picture this go round. Sorry 'bout that!
Disclaimer: The finished product shown here was taken the *last* time I made this pasta salad (note the prettier colors!) I admit, I spaced and forgot to take the picture this go round. Sorry 'bout that!
Some other suggestions:
- I once made this with fresh corn that I stripped from the cob. I added in some black beans for that healthy fiber, and used cilantro instead of the basil. This is one of Jimmy’s favorite varieties and I made it up all by myself!! Yay, me!!!
- Okay, I really only made that one other variation, but I thought it would look stupid to only have one bullet point.
Chow down, loyal readers. I’ll wait ‘til you’re finished. 
That looks delicious, Amy!
ReplyDeleteThanks! You'll have to try it! :)
ReplyDelete