Tons of veggies are packed into this penne pasta recipe. Tossed with a delicious roasted red pepper sauce and finished with briny capers.
When you're trying to shed some pounds (more on my story coming very soon), you have to make each meal count. More bang for your calorie buck, I say. For me, that meant increasing my fiber intake at each meal. Since both my husband and I are runners, we regularly work pasta meals into our dinner rotation, particularly the night before our long runs. We used to slurp up regular semolina spaghetti noodles like nobody's business but over the past couple of years we gradually made the switch to whole grain pasta. When we packed the dishes with vegetables, protein (chicken, shrimp, etc.) and tasty sauces - or "goodies" as we call them - the kids didn't even notice the difference.
Each of our boys favors different pasta shapes. The 7-year old insists that the rotini (also known as "curly", "twists" or "tornadoes" in our house) taste better than any other pasta in our pantry, while the 10-year old swears by the penne (in his favorite baked ziti recipe). My husband will eat whichever variety is placed in front of him as long as there are plenty of vegetables involved. The man's healthy eating habits put us all to shame! As for me, I'm not picky. As long as it tastes good and keeps me full for several hours, I'm game for any whole grain variety.
Whenever I cruise the pasta aisle at the grocery story, the boxes of Barilla® Whole Grain pasta always catch my eye and eventually pile into my cart.
Barilla® Whole Grain pastas are made with 51% whole wheat and pack a whole lot of fiber. To be specific, the whole grain varieties have three times as much fiber as the regular kinds. If you are trying to keep up with the recommended daily intake of fiber, switching to whole grain pasta is a pretty easy way to do this. We work it into some of our favorite recipes, such as Healthy Lasagne with Turkey, Pesto & Peppers and Fusilli with Teriyaki Salmon & Vegetables.
The recipe:
The sauce:
In the bowl of a food processor or heavy-duty blender, combine roasted red peppers, toasted almonds, garlic, cilantro, Parmesan cheese and lime juice. Puree together until just combined. With motor running, slowly pour in the olive oil and puree until the sauce is smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
Transfer the sauce to a small saucepan set over medium-low heat. Whisk in vegetable broth and heat the sauce. Keep warm over low heat.
The rest:
Cook the whole grain penne according to package instructions. Drain.
While the pasta is cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add cauliflower and cook until the cauliflower is tender. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cauliflower from cooking further.
In the same pot, combine the penne and about ¾ of the cauliflower. Pour in roasted red pepper sauce and toss to coat. Stir in the capers. Set the pot over medium heat and re-heat to serving temperature. Taste and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Serve, topping each portion with the remaining cauliflower, minced cilantro and grated Parmesan cheese.
Printable Recipe
Penne Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Ingredients
The Sauce
- 2 roasted red peppers chopped
- 3 tablespoons slivered almonds toasted
- 1 garlic clove chopped
- â…“ cup chopped cilantro
- 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 ½ teaspoons freshly-squeezed lime juice
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup vegetable broth
The Rest
- 1 box 14 ounce Barilla® Whole Grain Penne pasta
- 1 head 2 ¼ pound cauliflower, trimmed and cut into florets
- 3 tablespoon capers
- salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup minced cilantro
- grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
The Sauce:
- In the bowl of a food processor or heavy-duty blender, combine roasted red peppers, toasted almonds, garlic, cilantro, Parmesan cheese and lime juice. Puree together until just combined. With motor running, slowly pour in the olive oil and puree until the sauce is smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
- Transfer the sauce to a small saucepan set over medium-low heat. Whisk in vegetable broth and heat the sauce. Keep warm on low.
The Rest:
- Cook the whole grain penne according to package instructions. Drain.
- While the pasta is cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add cauliflower and cook until the cauliflower is tender. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cauliflower from cooking further.
- In the same pot, combine the penne and about ¾ of the cauliflower. Pour in roasted red pepper sauce and toss to coat. Stir in the capers.
- Set the pot over medium heat and re-heat to serving temperature. Taste and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve, topping each portion with the remaining cauliflower, minced cilantro and grated Parmesan cheese.
Nutrition
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Barilla pasta. All opinions are my own. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Shannon
Like many others have said, I like the nutty flavor of whole grain pasta. I also like the firm texture - reminds me of slightly undercooked white pasta which is what I like. Extra fiber is always good too.
Kris Mullen
I can usually find Barilla on sale at my local grocery store which is always a plus. I like adding extra fiber to my diet so it works for me.
eila @ the full plate blog
i love that Barilla tastes like "regular" pasta (non-whole grain) but has the added fiber. it was an easy switch for our family to make, to take small steps to healthier family meals. and [drum roll] I was thrilled to see this recipes posted b/c I just happen to have the barilla pasta on hand + a large cauliflower, some red pepper pesto I picked up at our winter farmer's market, and a jar of capers. looks like dinner is decided!! can't wait to make this.
Kim
This recipe looks delicious, visually appealing too. And I use Barilla pasta on a regular basis...great stuff!
Rose
I love Barilla whole-grain pasta! I love to eat pasta with veggies and the whole grain adds a flavor dimension and an irresistable toothsome quality. I am always trying to eat healthy, and this is such and easy and inexpensive way to add quality and fiber to our diet.
Jen
I like it because the quality is so much better than store brand whole grain pasta.
Lauren
This is right up my alley! LOVE roasted red pepper anything!
Marnely Rodriguez
I tweeted here: https://twitter.com/#!/nella22/statuses/172346177843511297
Amber @ Amber's Confections
I love that my boyfriend doesn't even realize it's whole grain pasta when I cook with it.
Marnely Rodriguez
I love how much filling it is, more so than the regular white wheat pasta! Love it!