easy pasta recipes

I just found a better and simpler way to make pasta with vegetables. Everything cooks in one pot and you don’t even have to drain the pasta. With a small amount of water the pasta and vegetables all cook in the same pot. I love it.

I make it with two of the most important vegetables for health: broccoli and spinach but it also works with just broccoli. This super fast vegetarian meal takes just 15 minutes and here a couple of tips:

• Be sure to keep the water boiling (not too high or too much water will boil away).
• If too much water boils away, you can add a little more water as needed.
• A timer is really helpful so you can set it for the pasta cooking time and then keep an eye to know when to add the veggies.
• When you add the broccoli, just open the lid briefly, toss the broccoli on top, and quickly close the lid. The broccoli will steam right on top.
• Add more or less parmesan. I like it with three tablespoons.

This can be a side dish or main dish. I plan to try it next with whole wheat pasta and will share my results.  Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

There’s nothing like the smell of garlic cooking on the stove. I can almost smell it just looking at this picture. As promised, I am sharing a very simple recipe for Spaghetti with Olive Oil and Garlic, the perfect side dish for just about anything. How fast is it? You’ll be waiting for your spaghetti to boil! It’s a simple recipe where you heat the olive oil and garlic for about five minutes, until the garlic is golden and fragrant, and then stir it into the spaghetti. Done.

It’s the kind of thing a fancy restaurant would call “Aglio e Olio” and charge you $18 for but you can make it at home for about $1.50.  And the taste is out of this world! By the way, it’s doesn’t have to be spaghetti – any pasta shape you have on hand will work… penne, linguini, angel hair, etc.. There’s only one problem: You’ll be tempted to have a giant bowl of this for dinner. That’s what I did.  Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones