Pasta Primavera
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 4 oz “high-protein” penne pasta
- 1 carrot
- 1 zucchini
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 medium onion, sliced thin
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup finely chopped kale
- ½ cup finely chopped tomato
- 2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
- Bring 6 cups of water and 1 Tbsp of salt to a boil in a 2 quart sauce pan
- Meanwhile, julienne* the vegetables.
- Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the vegetables in the following order: 1) carrots and onions, 5 minutes later 2) zucchini and red pepper, 3 minutes later 3) garlic and kale. Add salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Stir until combined and reduce the heat to medium-low, stirring occasionally.
- Add the pasta to the water and cook until “al dente” – that is, the pasta is still chewy.
- Roughly drain the pasta, leaving 1-2 Tbsp of the boiling water to transfer with the pasta to the sauté This step is important because we are not using any type of finishing liquid (like cream or wine).
- Cook the pasta and veggies together for 5 more minutes, stirring constantly.
Serve with a garnish of freshly chopped tomato and basil. Optional but recommended: add the classic garnish, some fresh-grated Parmesan cheese.
*If that level of labor doesn’t work for you, feel free to cut them to be approximately 1/2 of the size of a piece of penne pasta, but they may take up to 2x as long to cook. Why? Less surface area.