Today we’re doing a veggie full recipe! We’re using a rainbow of bell peppers that are super rich in Vitamin C, some Vitamin A, and Vitamin B. Believe it or not, the different colors also give different nutrients and different calories so I encourage using different colors not just to make the plate more fun, but also to make it more nutritious! We also have marrows or zucchini which are vitamin-rich vegetables as well. As the name says, this is a pasta dish, cos why not every once in a while. Instead of salt, we have sun-dried tomatoes that add even more Vitamin C to this plate and some potassium as well as magnesium all while bursting our taste buds with flavors. You might ask, but is pasta healthy? In moderation, yes. It’s what you add to the pasta that is an issue and the amount of pasta that you eat. If you are on a weight loss diet I suggest eating pasta for your lunch rather than dinner so you will have plenty of time to burn those calories before you sleep and fill your plate with more veggies rather than pasta, this mix is delicious on its own so half of your plate can easily be vegetables!
Ingredients
- Pasta
- Bell Peppers Mix
- Zucchini or Marrows
- Carrots
- Sun-dried Tomatoes
- Mixed Herbs (Your favorite mix)
- Coriander
Method
This is another quick and easy recipe. Slice the veggies (I like to do it in thin slices but it’s your choice), in a pan heat the mixed herbs and the coriander (I like to emphasize mint and thyme, but most herbs will go well especially dried ones) then add the rest of the veggies (including the sun-dried tomatoes) in and grill them lightly until soft. If the sun-dried tomatoes aren’t salty or aren’t in oil you may want to add a little salt and few drops of olive oil, however, the sun-dried tomatoes may be able to cater for both of those, mine did (always taste your sun-dried tomatoes, they can vary a lot from brand to brand).
Wash the pasta and boil as usual. I like to add some salt to the water, it increases the boiling temperature slightly and adds some taste. I also like to add some rosemary for flavor. Add the boiled pasta to your pan and mix well to capture the juices from your pan. Your meal is ready to serve!
Variations
Some lemon juice or lemon zest should blend well with this recipe. Mushrooms might be another option you would like to consider. I added some aniseed in my recipe, it was great or maybe you would like to add some garlic and onions. Of course, you can add chicken here or maybe nuts, however, I left mine without either, it really didn’t need any. Do remember that we do not really have a source of protein here so you might want to keep that in mind when eating the rest of the meals in your day and add some extra proteins in your breakfast or dinner. I chose farfalle for my pasta, however, all bite-size pasta should go well (I would avoid spaghetti for this), or maybe rice if you want to reduce some carbs or are a big rice fan. Hope you will give this recipe a try and leave us some thoughts below. And maybe this will introduce you to a less meaty choice in life, balance is good but that means not always eating meats in our diets, right?