Garlic & Basil Pasta w/ Mixed Veggies

Photo Credit - (Instagram & Twitter: @ChiJayhawk)

When I am looking for a home cooked meal but don't want to slave away in the kitchen for hours, I create a flavorful and easy dish, much like this one. I select two key ingredients I want to highlight - in this case, basil and garlic. While these are usually staples, I make them stand out by combining these flavors in all aspects of the dish. And what I absolutely love about this, is that you can use similar herbs and vegetables to make a customized meal for you and your guests. 

Ingredients:

1/2 box of your favorite noodles

Olive Oil

Mixed Veggies (1/4- 1/2 of each - I used onions, green and red peppers)

1 cup chicken stock

5-6 garlic cloves (less if you aren't a garlic lover)

5-6 tsp of basil

Pecorino cheese 

Salt & Pepper to taste

1-2 Servings

Directions:

Chop up your veggies then sauté with a dash of olive oil and 1 garlic clove and 1 tsp of basil.

In another pot, bring 1 cup chicken stock to a boil then add in 4 garlic cloves and 4 tsp of basil and let simmer for about 5 minutes. 

In the meantime, bring water to a boil and add your noodles. Drop your noodles in and cook to your liking.

After about 5 minutes, go back to your simmering pot and add the vegetables to your liquid mixture. Be sure to stir the mixture. Continue to simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes to infuse the flavors together. After about 7 minutes, taste the sauce and add the finishing touches (add more garlic, basil, herbs, salt and pepper). 

Take your bowl and begin plating- take the veggies from the sauce and place on the bottom, drizzle with some sauce, top with your noodles, drizzle more sauce over the noodles and top with Pecorino cheese.