Pasta with Vegetables

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© Chef LaLa

© Chef LaLa

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Add pasta, vegetables, parsley and basil to meat sauce, cook for 2-3 minutes to combine flavors. Add salt and pepper as needed.
  5. 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.