Whole Grain Penne With Artichoke Zucchini Recipes

MEDITERRANEAN PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon salt. Cook the pasta until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water, then drain.
• While the water boils and pasta cooks, prep your vegetables and remaining ingredients: mince the garlic; halve the cherry tomatoes; drain and roughly chop the artichokes; drain and slice the olives in half. Once the vegetables start cooking, the recipe goes quickly, so you want to be ready.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the tomatoes, garlic, the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is fragrant and the tomatoes begin to break down and release some juices into the oil, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add the pasta to the skillet and toss to coat. Add the artichokes and olives. Drizzle the lemon juice over the pasta. Continue tossing and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until warmed through. If the pasta seems too dry, add a splash of the reserved pasta water to loosen it. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as desired. Remove from heat and sprinkle with Parmesan and parsley. Toss once more and enjoy.

WHOLE-WHEAT PENNE WITH SAUSAGE, CHARD, AND ARTICHOKE HEARTS

Steps:

• Set a large pot of salted water to boil for pasta. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium. Add sausage and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking sausage into pieces, until cooked through and lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Add remaining oil, chard stems, artichoke hearts, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook until chard stems soften slightly, 3 to 5 minutes. Add chard leaves and cook, stirring, until wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Add pasta to boiling water; cook until 2 minutes short of al dente. Add sun-dried tomatoes and cook 2 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta water and drain pasta; return to pot.
• Pour half of reserved pasta water into a small bowl. Add tomato paste and whisk to combine. Add tomato paste mixture, sausage mixture, Parmesan, basil, and red pepper flakes to pasta in pot. Toss to combine, adding reserved pasta water if necessary. Season with salt and pepper.

PENNE WITH VEGGIES AND BLACK BEANS

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, saute the zucchini, carrot, mushrooms, green pepper, onion, garlic and seasonings in 1 teaspoon oil until crisp-tender. Stir in the beans., Drain pasta; add to vegetable mixture. Add tomato and remaining olive oil; toss gently. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and parsley.

PASTA WITH ARTICHOKES AND PANCETTA

Steps:

• Squeeze one lemon half into a large bowl of cold water. Pluck off all tough leaves from one artichoke, until you reach leaves that are pale and soft. Using a vegetable peeler or paring knife, peel stem and trim base of artichoke, then dunk it in lemon water to keep it from browning. Cut off the top 1/3 of artichoke and discard. Cut artichoke in half; remove any inner purple leaves and scoop out the fuzzy choke if there is one. Thinly slice artichoke lengthwise to include some of the heart. Put slices in the lemon water and leave them there as you cut remaining artichokes.
• Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil, then cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in pancetta and cook until browned and crispy, stirring occasionally, 8 to 12 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer pancetta to a paper towel-lined plate; leave fat in pan.
• Drain the artichokes, shaking them well to remove excess water. Raise heat under pan to medium-high, and stir in artichokes, leeks, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and cook until golden brown and tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and stir in vermouth, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of skillet.
• Stir in cooked pasta, pancetta, chives and parsley. If the mixture seems dry, add pasta water, a little at a time. Stir in more salt to taste, Parmesan and lemon juice to taste.
• Transfer to serving plates and top with a drizzle of oil, more black pepper, and more grated cheese.

BAKED WHOLE GRAIN PENNE WITH FALL VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Pulse walnuts, parsley and parmesan in a food processor until they look like bread crumbs.
• Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the leeks, and squash and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour, sage, and nutmeg. Reduce heat add gradually add broth and milk. Simmer, stirring, until thickened, 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and remove from heat.
• Cook pasta according to package instructions; drain. Combine pasta with the vegetables and mozzarella. Pour into a 9 by 13-inch casserole. Sprinkle with the walnut topping. Bake until the top is golden, about 25 minutes. Rest 5 minutes before serving.

WHOLE GRAIN PENNE WITH ARTICHOKE & ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a saute pan and lightly saute the onion and zucchini. Cook till the zucchini is tender.
• Add the garlic and saute for another minute.
• Add the defrosted artichoke hearts and the wine.
• Simmer for a few more minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook the penne according to the package directions.
• Drain and add the penne or pasta to the veggies.
• Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.
• Makes 2 servings.

SPINACH ARTICHOKE WHOLE-WHEAT PENNE

Steps:

• Place a large pot of water over high heat and bring up it up to a boil to cook the pasta, season with some salt and cook to al dente, according to package directions. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of the cooking water.
• Heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil in medium nonstick skillet. Add artichokes to heat through and lightly brown at edges.
• To clean spinach, fill sink with water, swish spinach around and let grit fall to bottom of sink. Dry leaves before using.
• In the bowl of a food processor add the shallot, 1/2 cup chicken stock, spinach leaves, mint, almonds and salt and pepper, to taste. If you have a hand held small-holed grater or a zester, grate garlic into the food processor. Adding a whole clove can result in stray big pieces of raw garlic, too bitter to bite down on. If you do not have a hand held grater, mince garlic and mash up into paste with a little salt. Turn processor on and add in about 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil.
• Scrape the spinach pesto into the artichoke pan and loosely cover with foil. Bring mixture to a simmer over low to medium-low heat and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the reserved pasta cooking water, the pasta and the cheese. Toss to coat the pasta with the sauce and heat for 1 minute. Transfer to a serving bowl or platter, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.

PENNE WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs; reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain.
• Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the squash, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
• Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, the mushrooms, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, shallot and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, until the shallot softens, about 2 minutes.
• Add the pasta, squash and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water to the skillet. Cook, stirring, until heated through,1 to 2 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup parmesan, then stir in enough of the remaining cooking water to loosen. Stir in the oregano and season with salt and pepper. Top with the remaining 1/2 cup parmesan.

PENNE WITH SPINACH SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the penne and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes.
• Mince the garlic in a food processor. Add the goat cheese, cream cheese, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and half of the spinach leaves. Blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Set the cheese and spinach mixture aside.
• Meanwhile, place the remaining spinach leaves in a large bowl.
• Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Spoon the pasta atop the spinach leaves in the bowl. Scrape the cheese and spinach mixture over the pasta mixture and toss to coat, adding enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season the pasta, to taste, with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the Parmesan over and serve.

PENNE WITH CHICKEN AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Add pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and set aside.
• Warm 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in chicken, and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook until chicken is cooked through and browned, about 5 minutes. Remove chicken to paper towels.
• Pour chicken broth into the skillet. Then stir in asparagus, garlic, and a pinch more garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Cover, and steam until the asparagus is just tender, about 5 to 10 minutes. Return chicken to the skillet, and warm through.
• Stir chicken mixture into pasta, and mix well. Let sit about 5 minutes. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, stir again, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

WHOLE-WHEAT PASTA SALAD WITH GRILLED ZUCCHINI AND OLIVES

Steps:

• In a large bowl gently stir together tomatoes, onion, garlic paste, vinegar, and 1/4 cup oil
• Brush one side of zucchini slices lightly with additional oil and season with salt and pepper. Heat a well-seasoned ridged grill pan over moderate heat until hot and grill zucchini, oiled sides down, in batches, brushing tops with more oil before turning, 1 to 2 minutes on each side, or until just tender but not soft. Transfer zucchini as grilled to a small bowl.
• In a kettle of salted boiling water cook pasta until just tender and drain well. Add hot pasta to tomato mixture and toss well. Cool pasta slightly and stir in zucchini, olives, cheese, basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Pasta may be made 4 hours ahead and kept covered at room temperature.
• Serve pasta warm or at room temperature.

ONE-POT PENNE WITH ZUCCHINI AND PARMESAN

Steps:

• Shred zucchini on the large holes of a box grater. (You should have about 4 cups.) Toss with 1/2 teaspoon salt in a colander set over a bowl. Let stand 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in a pot of generously salted boiling water until al dente. Drain pasta directly over zucchini in colander set in sink. Transfer both to pot; toss with olive oil, Parmesan, garlic, and red-pepper flakes. Season with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper. Serve, dressed with more oil and cheese.