Pine Nut and Veg Penne
1 (16 ounce) box whole wheat penne
1 small head broccoli, chopped
1/2 pound fresh green snap beans, trimmed and halved
4-5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
2 (6 ounce) bags pine nuts
1 large red onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 orange or yellow bell pepper, sliced
3-5 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 pinches dried basil
2-3 pinches dried thyme
2-3 pinches crushed red pepper
1 slice whole grain bread, ground to crumbs
1. Preheat the oven to 415 degrees F. Cook the pasta according to package directions al dente in large pot of water; set aside. Heat a large skillet on medium heat without oil.
2. Place broccoli and beans on a large baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and toss to coat. Once the oven is heated, roast broccoli and beans about 15 minutes, check and toss.
3. Finish it off for another 10-15 minutes until they're all brown and caramelized on the bottom. Toast pine nuts in the dry skillet; keep an eye on it, because they'll burn easily.
4. After they're toasted, add in the onions and cook for a few of minutes until they're caramelized, then add in bell peppers until just softened. Add in the garlic and cook until just caramelized.
5. Add in the other vegetables, spices, salt, and pepper, and stir. Add in the pasta, drizzle with olive oil, and then sprinkle with the bread crumbs for binding (kinda like a parmesan replacement). Toss together, and enjoy!
SO HOW'D IT GO?
I added asparagus, green beans, and mushrooms. I also added a little bit of chilli pepper. YUM!
Just made this for a party of 15-20. I think the only thing I changed was adding mushrooms. I used two boxes of penne and then just sort of guestimated the number of veggies i needed. I mixed the veggies and penne until I had the desired ratio. You can make it more of a veggie dish or more of a pasta dish depending on if it's a side or main dish. It turned out great for the party. You can pretty much use anything you have in the house at the time. I'll use this recipe as a good "fridge-pile" meal when I need to use those left over veggies!
this was DELICIOUS. i just made it for my friends - one vegan and two non vegan. it was super awesome. thanks!!
Wow this recipes was really delicious ! Best pasta dish ever!
I have to say it was one of the tastiest pasta meals I have ever made ;)b
We used 5 cloves of garlic - we absolutely love our garlic :D I also used snow peas instead of snap beans - just not a favourite of mine. next time I make this I am going to experiment and add in some sauteed zucchini - I am always trying to get more zucchini into everything :D Also will include a photo next time I make it.
I am eating this right now, and it is REALLY GOOD. As a student I am way too poor to afford pine nuts so I subbed with sunflower seeds which have worked out just fine.
I added balsamic vinegar to the oil before I mixed all the veggies in it, I also diced a sweet potato and added that, and I forgot the garlic right til the last minute so didn't put it in hehe. But this is a seriously tasty meal and I'll definitely be making it again, but I would start prepping *before* I got hungry hehe. I was just about ready to chew my arm off by the time I'd finished chopping everything hehe. But that was just bad planning on my part.
This was really quite good. The pine nuts totally kick this recipe up a notch. I didn't make any significant changes to the ingredients, but I did use fresh basil and fresh thyme from my herb garden instead of the dried, vegan Parmesan instead of the bread crumbs, and I also used sugar snap peas instead of green snap beans. Pictures are forthcoming.
I just realized that I put "1 fresh green snap peas"... what I really meant was 1/2 pound. You can really use a few handfuls or however much you like.