Penne Primavera

Penne Primavera

INGREDIENTS:

vegetable broth and/or vegetable juice to cook veggies in
4 cups vegetable broth (mix with vegetable juice, if desired)
1 (16 ounce) package penne pasta - or whatever you may have :)
2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
2 cups broccoli florets - 1 bag of frozen works, if they're large, you need to cut them up
2 or 3 medium carrots, julienned
1 bag frozen peas
Other vegetables - mushrooms, green beans...whatever sounds good to you, add it in!
Herbs to taste - Oregano, Basil, Parsley - fresh is best, but if you don't have it, go with dried
Garlic Powder to taste - we always add this, even if there's fresh garlic in it, too
Parmesan cheese, if desired (they make it low fat if you want it that way)

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a pot, bring 4 cups of vegetable broth to a boil. Stir in the penne pasta and garlic cloves. Cook for 5 minutes, or until pasta is almost al dente.

2. Heat the broth or juice in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the broccoli, carrots, peas, and other veggies that you want. Start with the ones that take the longest to cook (carrots and broccoli). Cook until all of the vegetables are heated through, about 2 minutes or so.

3. Transfer the partially cooked pasta and broth to the skillet. Add your herbs. Cover skillet, and continue cooking 10 minutes over medium heat, or until pasta is al dente and vegetables are tender. Top with the Parmesan cheese if you want it and serve. :)