Pasta with Vegetables
/Ingredients
- ½ lb Lean Ground Beef
- 8 oz Canned Tomatoes
- 1 Cup chicken stock
- 2 Cup semolina pasta
- 5 Cups water
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ Cup white onion, small dice
- 1 Tbsp garlic, minced
- 1 Cup zucchini squash, small dice
- 2 Cups red, green yellow bell peppers, sliced
- 1 Tbsp basil, chopped
- 1 Tbsp parsley, chopped
- To taste salt and pepper
Garnish
- 2 Tbsp olives, sliced
- ¼ Cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
Preparation
- Add ground beef a stockpot. Break up any large chunks with rubber spatula. Cook, uncovered for additional 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and chicken stock to beef mixture. Lower heat to low, and continue to cook for an additional 20 minutes.
- Pour water into med sauce pan and bring to a rolling boil. Add uncooked pasta and boil for 5 minutes (pasta will be slightly undercooked). Drain water and run under cold water until pasta is cool.
- Add olive oil to large sauté pan and allow the pan to get hot. Add onion & garlic and sweat over med-low heat until translucent, about 2 – 4 minutes. Add zucchini, and peppers.
- Add pasta, vegetables, parsley and basil to meat sauce, cook for 2-3 minutes to combine flavors. Add salt and pepper as needed.
- Garnish with Parmigiano-Reggiano and olives.
erves 4
Healthy Cooking Tips
- Semolina as a flour is pretty nutritious with 7 grams of fiber per 167 gram serving, which is 26% of your USRDA of fiber. (currently “official”us guidelines suggests 20 – 25 grams of fiber per day.) 167 grams of semolina has 21 grams of protein and contains 3% of your USRDA of calcium plus 11% of your USRDA of iron. (source: nutritiondata.com)
- Don’t overcook your vegetables, preserving the natural flavors, colors and nutrients.
- Avoid saturated fats (solid at room temperature), use nutrient rich healthy fats like Olive oil.
- A great way to decrease the amount of fat and calories in your recipes is using dried cheeses like parmesan.
- Select lean ground beef, turkey or chicken.