Here is a delicious pasta recipe that includes a flavorful combo of zucchini and mushrooms cooked with herbs and aromatics, all topped with your favorite tomato sauce and cheese, if desired. It can be made into a meatless meal or served with meat of your choice. A video demonstration is below. The written recipe is below the video.

Enjoy!
Judi

Pasta with Zucchini, Mushrooms and Tomato Sauce
Makes About 6 servings

1 lb pasta of choice
1-2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
About ¾ cup chopped onion
3 large cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 cup chopped bell pepper
2 medium zucchini, chopped small
1 (8 oz) pkg mushrooms of choice, sliced small
1 (15 oz) can white beans (or beans of choice), rinsed and drained, optional*
1-1/2 Tbsp dried parsley flakes
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup water
Juice of 1 large lemon
Tomato sauce of your choice
Parmesan or grated mozzarella cheese, optional topping

Place tomato sauce in a small pot with lid, and warm it over medium-low heat. Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the pasta according to package directions.

Prepare the vegetables: In a large pot, briefly heat the olive oil. Sauté the onion and bell pepper for 1 to 2 minutes; add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the zucchini, mushrooms, beans, spices and water; stir to combine. Cover and allow the vegetables to cook until the zucchini starts to soften, stirring occasionally. This may take from 5 to 9 minutes, depending upon how cooked you want them to be. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice; stir to combine.

When the pasta is cooked and drained, and the vegetables are cooked, your dish is ready to serve. Place some pasta on the plate and top with some vegetables. Top with some tomato sauce, and sprinkle with cheese, if desired.

* The added beans are optional, but make a nice addition for a meatless meal. If meat is preferred, omit the beans and serve this dish with the meat of your choice. A piece of chicken would go well. Also, if you want to add ground beef or sausage, browned and drained meat can be added to the tomato sauce. Ground meat can also be added to the vegetable mixture. In your large pot, brown the meat first, then drain the excess fat. You could omit the added olive oil in this case. Proceed from there with sautéing the vegetables, etc.

About Judi
Julia W. Klee (Judi) began her journey enjoying “all things food” in elementary school when she started preparing meals for her family. That love of food blossomed into a quest to learn more and more about health and wellness as related to nutrition. She went on to earn a BS Degree in Food and Nutrition, then an MS Degree in Nutrition. She has taught nutrition and related courses at the college level to pre-nursing and exercise science students. Her hunger to learn didn’t stop upon graduation from college. She continues to research on a regular basis about nutrition as it relates to health. Her hope is to help as many people as possible to enjoy foods that promote health and wellness.