This is seriously delicious. And I’m serious, it’s SUPER easy and quick. It’s all the things I love in a home-cooked meal: cheap, fast, healthy, and tasty! The entire dish, start to finish, takes about 20 minutes. As the pasta is boiling, just saute some chopped zucchini, mushrooms, and garlic in olive oil with salt and pepper for a few minutes, then add marinara sauce and heat up. Add the cooked pasta to the pan and you’re done!
What sautéing mushrooms, zucchini, and other “watery” vegetables, it’s a good idea to give them a stir and let them sit for a few minutes without touching them. This will allow the water to release and evaporate, causing the vegetables to brown, rather than remain soggy. Confession: I did not use whole wheat pasta for this (GASP!). OK but Trader Joe’s has this amazing egg pappardelle pasta that is just soooo delicious. And $2! And yes, I am aware that I talk about Trader Joe’s a lot. I would like to remind you that I am a girl who loves healthy food and bargains. Which is what Trader Joe’s is all about. The good news: If you want whole wheat pappardelle pasta (which, by the way, is like a delicious, thicker fettucini), you can get it on amazon! Of course, you can just use spaghetti or fettucini instead of pappardelle if you want to. I promise it will be just as tasty.
When you add the pasta to the sauce, add it just after draining. There will still be some starchy pasta water attached to the noodles, making the sauce stick a little better. Serve with parmesan cheese and fresh ground pepper (omit the cheese for a vegan option). Seriously… easiest thing ever. This is definitely going to become a staple for quick and easy weeknight dinners! Hope you enjoy :-)
