Cheesy Veggie Pasta Goodness

Happy Thursday blog readers!  Today is Thursday, which means that the weekend is upon us!  To brighten your weekend I decided to post about one of everyone’s favorite topics: foods loaded with cheese.  

As I’ve mentioned in my previous posts, I like to trick people into thinking that I can actually cook.  The person who I have most successfully deceived into believing this is Eric.  He thinks I’m practically a gourmet chef!  But I’ll let you in on a secret.  Really my tactic is to just throw a bunch of crap together and cover it with cheese.  It hasn’t failed me yet!  

On Tuesday I successfully fooled my husband once again with by stuffing him full of one of his favorite dishes.  I call it “Cheesy Veggie Pasta Goodness.”  It’s a perfect dish for summer because it uses a ton of seasonal veggies and it’s really light.  It might actually be healthy if I didn’t load it with cheese.  And drink a whole bottle of wine while making it. 

Normally, I try to keep my recipes a secret.  They are the fastest way to Eric’s heart, and I cannot take that risk.  However, Cheesy Veggie Pasta Goodness is so delicious that I simply cannot help but share it.   Here’s the recipe: 

Cheesy Veggie Pasta Goodness

Serves: 4 – Eric and I can usually get two good dinners out of it, if we have a salad too. 

Ingredients:

2 T flour

2 T butter

1 1/4^th cup skim milk

1 T Italian seasoning

2 T grated Parmesan cheese

2 bell peppers chopped (I usually use red, but green or yellow are good too)

1 zucchini cut into chunks

1 16 oz package sliced baby portabella mushrooms

2 heads broccoli cut into florets

7 oz (half a box) whole wheat penne pasta

1 cup Monterey jack cheese, plus extra for garnish 

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Cut up all the veggies.  Put the broccoli off to the side. 
   

   

   Be sure to start your wine drinking AFTER cutting veggies.

3. Make the sauce by melting the butter in a small pot.  Combine with the flour and stir for about a minute until it forms a thick paste.  Be really careful not to let it burn!  Add milk and stir until it starts to boil.  Simmer for about 10 minutes and add Italian seasoning.

   

   This is where it gets cheesy.

4. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box.  In the last minute add the chopped broccoli and simmer for a minute.  Drain the pasta and the broccoli.

   

   Boiled broccoli in a pot... It gets better once the cheese is added, I promise!

5. Combine the pasta and broccoli with the chopped veggies and the sauce.  Stir to combine until it’s a big saucy, veggie mess.

   

   I make Eric work for his dinner.  He is an expert mixer.

6. Pour the mess into a 9x12 greased baking dish. 
7. Cover the top with Monterey jack cheese.  (This is the good part.)  You can either use shredded cheese from the bag or, if you have a fancy cheese grater (such as yours truly) you can shred your own cheese!   

   

   I'm excited for cheese!

   

   So cheesy...

8. Cover the mess with foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Uncover, and broil for 5 minutes more, or until the cheese is just browned on top. 

   

   I know it's going to be hard, but let it rest a few minutes before diving head first into the pasta. 

9. Garnish with more cheese, and enjoy! 

   

   If you have any wine leftover from the preparation process, have some with dinner!  A light white is good with this one.  I like Pinot Gris.

   
   

   

    I love seeing my husband enjoy my cooking!

Try it for yourself and let me know how it goes!  (I'm sure it won't be as good as when I make it.)