Perfect Pasta Bowl

This week we finally experienced Wawona’s first snow of the season! It happened on Monday. Well, I suppose it started Sunday night, but at that point, it was an uncertain snow, just a dusting. But when we woke up, a blanket! It kept snowing too, until we had almost a foot. This is the most snow I’ve had since I left Michigan after my freshman year of college. We all reveled in it. As soon as we finished our necessary tasks for the day, we went sledding… obviously. A day of hiking through the snow along with the general excitement left all of us feeling pretty tired and hungry. Pasta sounded perfect and some recent dieting intentions ensured that the fridge was packed full of vegetables. My plan? To fit as much of this as I could into a giant bowl.

If you plan on mixing your vegetables with something other than just sauce, pasta strands (spaghetti, fettuccini, etc.) don’t always work the best. When I add veggies or meats, I usually go for Penne, but all we had was some huge bags of macaroni. Macaroni is often overlooked when not being used with its classic sidekick cheese. However, macaroni is great if you’re feeding a crowd. You’ll get more bang for your buck with macaroni than with most larger pasta noodles (rigatoni, ziti, penne, etc.), since these just have bigger empty spaces.

This pasta hit the spot for sure. It was really filling, but also easy and fast. If you don’t have all the ingredients I used, don’t sweat it; just use whatever you have in the fridge. This is definitely a good dish to improvise with.

Perfect Pasta Bowl
Serves 8

2 lbs macaroni noodles
3 Tbs olive oil
3 large garlic cloves finely chopped or pressed
½ red onion finely chopped
1 large red bell pepper chopped
1/2 jalapeno pepper finely chopped
1 zucchini quartered and sliced
1 bunch green onions finely chopped
1 large tomato chopped
4-6 c baby spinach leaves
4 Morningstar Farms Chik Patties, thawed in microwave
1 c feta cheese crumbled
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper

In large pot, boil macaroni according to instructions on package.

Heat oil in large pan over medium-low heat. Add garlic and onion and sauté until they just start to become soft. Add jalapeno and red pepper and continue to sauté for 2-3 minutes, then add zucchini, green onions and tomato.

In separate pan, fry Chik Patties in a little olive oil until crispy. Cut into small pieces and add to vegetables along with the spinach. Cook until spinach begins to wilt, then remove from heat.

Stir vegetable mixture, feta cheese and dried herbs together with pasta in large bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Tips: If you’re not into spicy food, you can skip the jalapeno pepper. This dish is also good with cheeses other than feta. Parmesan, asiago, romano or goat cheese would be really good. You could skip the cheese altogether for a tasty vegan option as well. I actually served it with some medium cheddar on the side for the cheese lovers to add at will.