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.

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Penne Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Tons of veggies are packed into this penne pasta recipe. Tossed with a delicious roasted red pepper sauce and finished with briny capers.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Entrees, Pasta

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Vegetarian, Whole Grains, Whole Wheat Recipe

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 30

Servings: Servings

Calories: 388kcal

Author: Dara Michalski | Cookin' Canuck

Ingredients

The Sauce

2 roasted red peppers chopped
3 tablespoons slivered almonds toasted
1 garlic clove chopped
⅓ 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

Tried this recipe?If you make this recipe, I'd love to see it on Instagram! Just use the hashtag #COOKINCANUCK and I'll be sure to find it.

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.

Comments

5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)