Pasta and Vegetable Toss

This dish burst with bright colors and with just the right punch of flavors. I made this the other night, and it was yummy! In fact, hubby and I came back for seconds and we had it for lunch the next day. I found this recipe on the internet and modified it using ingredients I had on hand. Its a hearty, healthy meal that is quick and easy that comes together in no time!


Ingredients

6 ounces uncooked quinoa veggie curls pasta

1 cup sliced fresh mushroom

1 cup fresh asparagus (about ¼ pound)

¼ cup butter

1/3 cup hot water

½ cube gourmet vegetable bouillon

1 medium carrots, halved and sliced

1 medium zucchini, halved and sliced

¾ cup sour cream

1 tablespoon original ranch dips mix

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 medium sweet onions, finely chopped

1 medium sweet yellow pepper, julienned

2 tablespoons fresh parsely, minced

1 tablespoon fresh basil, minced

¼ teaspoon salt

Direction

1. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.

2. Dissolve vegetable buoillon in 1 ½ cup hot water. In a medium bowl, combine sour cream and ranch dip, Parmesan cheese, salt, basil and parsely. Set aside.

3. In a large skillet, cook onion in butter for about 5 minutes. Stir in pepper, mushroom, zucchini, carrots, and onions; cook for another 5 minutes. Stir in vegetable bouillon mixture, sour cream mixture, and the pasta; cook until vegetables are tender-crisp. Serve hot or cold; sprinkle parmesan cheese over top before serving if desired.


Tips in buying asparagus:

Pick a bunch of asparagus with tight, compact, and very thin to fairly thin in diameter stalks; and has firm, unwrinkled heads. Any time a bunch of asparagus fails to meet one of these requirements, it’s a sign that the asparagus is old in one way or another.