Penne with Broccoli and Tomatoes

How many times have you elected to grab some less than healthy convenience food over taking the time to make a nutritious meal?  Often I’d tell myself that I didn’t have the time to cook or that it was too expensive to eat right.  Perhaps I was home alone and felt that it was too much of a nuisance to be bothered cooking for one.  This recipe helps me ditch the litany of excuses for why I can’t eat a healthy meal?  Actually this post is more of a cooking technique than an actual recipe.  It’s easy to add or subtract the ingredients to suit your own tastes.  The method used in cooking this dish will remain an invaluable tool for getting a healthy meal to your table quickly.  So whether you are cooking for one or for twenty one it can be fairly easy to get the job done.       

Ingredients:

1 tbs Olive Oil

1 Plum Tomato (diced)

1 Serrano Pepper (sliced)

1 Garlic Clove (sliced)

2 Anchovy Fillets

½ cup Broccoli Florets

½ cup gluten Free Penne pasta (or other short GF pasta)

Grated parmesan or Pecorino Romano to taste

Video Tutorial: 

Fill a small saucepan with water and place it on a medium-high heat to boil.

When the water comes to a boil add the pasta and some salt.  

In a nonstick skillet on a medium heat add the olive oil, tomato, pepper, garlic, and anchovy fillets then begin to sauté these ingredients.  The anchovies are optional but I do find that they add an unmatched complexity to the dish.  If you don’t want to use the anchovies just add a sprinkle of salt instead.        

When the pasta is 3 minutes shy of being done according to the package instructions add the broccoli florets to the boiling pot.  Drain the pasta and broccoli one minute prior to the pasta being done.  Add the pasta and broccoli to the sauté pan with the vegetables.  Stir everything together for another minute.  The dish is now ready to plate.  Add a sprinkle of grated cheese before serving.   

The versatility of this dish is limitless.  There is an endless array of vegetable combinations that can be merged to suit almost any palate.  You could also add countless proteins to this dish.  From chicken to fish or even legumes there are so many choices to make this meal your own.  You’ll only be limited by your imagination.