Piccolini Pasta With Fresh Veggies

This is the pasta dish I made for Mother's Day, with the help of my niece, Taya. She even chose the pasta shape: mini wagon wheels! I really like how the sauce of this dish turned out, using the diced tomatoes, balsamic and tamari. This recipe will probably lend itself to many different vegetable variations in the future! And, the leftovers tasted even better the next day!!

Ingredients

16 ounces pasta, I used Barilla piccolini
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, sliced
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 large red bell peppers, seeded and cut into strips
1 lb frozen broccoli florets, thawed
2 (10 ounce) packages sliced mushrooms (white button or baby bella)
2 (14 ounce) cans diced tomatoes (fire roasted is nice if you have them)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons tamari or soy sauce
1 (14 ounce) can cannellini beans (white beans)
1/2 cup basil leaves (chiffonade or chopped)
salt, to taste
crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
 
Directions

1.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.
2.  In a LARGE saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat.
3.  Add onion slices, and cook until translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
4.  Add garlic, mushrooms and italian seasoning and cook another 4-5 minutes, or until mushrooms begin to soften.
5.  Next, stir in the peppers and broccoli and cook for about 10 minutes, or until vegetables turn bright and soften. I usually add a little salt here as well.
6.  Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente, about 7-8 minutes.
7.  When the vegetable are just about done to your liking, add the diced tomatoes, balsamic, tamari and cannellini beans and simmer until pasta is ready.
8.  Drain pasta and toss with veggies and sauce, garnish with fresh basil and crushed red pepper, if using.

My niece and I also made crostini: Baguette toasted in the oven with olive oil and garlic, then topped with grape tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic and olive oil!