I love healthy recipes that my entire family enjoys. I appreciate such recipes, even more, when they are also quick and easy to prepare. My pasta with zucchini recipe that I mentioned in the “Five Dishes From One (Huge!) Zucchini” post checks all of these boxes.
Pasta With Zucchini Recipe
Whole Grain Penne with Zucchini
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 2 cups of uncooked whole grain penne
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ red onion, chopped
- ½ medium zucchini, chopped
- 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced (my family really LOVES garlic!)
- kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top (if desired)
Cooking Instructions
- Prepare the penne according to the directions on the package.
- Heat the olive oil in a large fry pan over a medium heat. Add the onion, zucchini and garlic to the pan. Stirring occasionally, cook everything until the zucchini is tender (approximately 5 minutes). Add the salt and pepper to taste.
- Combine the drained penne with the zucchini mixture from the fry pan in a large bowl. Toss everything together to combine. Then, serve.
Recipe Notes
*Cut the zucchini up relatively small so that kids willeasily eat it.
*Sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan over the pasta/veggie mixture after combining everything. (I also put some of the grated Parmesan on the dining room table at dinner time. My 4-year-old son Sean is more excited about trying new things when he gets to “sprinkle” something on top.)
*You can serve the pasta with grilled chicken. My 7-year-old son Michael mixed his chopped-up grilled chicken with the pasta on his plate. He then declared that “it tastes better that way”.
I took note and served the leftovers that way the next day for lunch. The pasta/veggie/chicken combination is equally good served warm or at room temperature. That is why this dish will be added to my “school lunch arsenal”!
If you found this recipe helpful, please share it. Thanks!
