My mom used to say I was destined to become a vegetarian. I just gobbled vegetables up–carrots, beets, potatoes, spinach. No matter what it was, I loved it! And I still do. I usually eat them twice a day, even for breakfast! And I don’t mean french fries or potato chips!
But that’s what happens in many homes across America. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture,  Americans just don’t eat as many fruits and vegetables as we should. And when we do, they’re mainly potatoes and tomatoes — in the not-so-nutritious forms of french fries and pizza. On the average, we’re only eating 1 1/2 cups of veggies each day and only 10% of that comes from dark green and orange vegetables like carrots, spinach and sweet potatoes.
So, how can we add more veggies to our meals? How about some pasta? That’s another one of our favorite foods. One survey I saw that many Americans eat it twice a week. And that’s okay if we’re cooking up some whole grain pasta and adding high fiber ingredients like beans and vegetables. That’s why I love my Chunky Penne. It’s packed with high antioxidant power with carrots, tomatoes, and peppers and filled with high fiber goodness from the beans and the whole grain penne. It’s like I step out into a garden, filling my plate with a variety of fresh vegetables–food that always loves me back.
Focus on Carrots: One of my favorite veggies in Chunky Penne is carrots. Did you know that one medium carrot has 2 grams of fiber? Just one! But fiber is only one of the ways that carrots love you back. A diet rich in orange, yellow and red vegetables offers good protection against many forms of cancer. This includes cancer of the breast, prostate, stomach and colon. It can also lower your risk for heart disease.Â
Chunky Penne
Ingredients
- 1 box of whole grain penne
- 2 T low-sodium vegetable broth
- 2 cups zucchini cut in 1/2 inch slices
- 1 cup carrots thinly sliced
- 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
- 1/2 cup diced onions
- 1 T dried basil
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- 2 medium tomatoes cut in 1 inch pieces
- 1 red bell pepper coarsely chopped
- 15 ounce can of cannellini beans any canned bean will do
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 1/2 tsp salt opt.
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach or greens opt.
Instructions
- Cook and drain the whole-grain pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile in a nonstick skillet, heat the vegetable broth over medium heat (you could also use a little tomato juice in its place). Add zucchini, carrots, mushrooms, peppers, onion and garlic. Cook 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently, until veggies are crisp-tender. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cook another 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until hot. If using fresh basil or baby spinach, stir in now, just for a minute or 2, enough for the leaves to wilt. Then serve over the penne. This recipe makes 5 1/2 cups of sauce.
- VARIATIONS: Another way to add some greens to this dish is to serve the pasta on top of a bed of uncooked greens rather than cooking them as part of the dish. You can also use different combinations of vegetables in this dish. Yellow squash and broccoli are great in Chunky Penne.
