Pasta Bakes Are Perfect 4th of July Food

Hey dudes!

Happy fourth of July! My friend Nia (you know her as Nadia — our regular Tuesday guest-blogger) and I painted the town red last night! We bar-hopped, club-danced, and arm-wrestled our way from frat house to frat house.

Heh…I totally just made that up! In actuality, Nadia and I were kitchen goddesses last night; I guess that’s what happens to two aging chicks with liberal arts degrees. We did, however, create a massive feast! We have the perfect dish for you if you’re heading to a picnic or bbq, since it’s super easy to make, it’s delicious and it’s healthy, too! Bring this pasta bake and you’re set with a great option to share.

Vegan Pasta Bake
Serves 6

Ingredients

• 8oz. whole-wheat rigatoni (this is half a bag of Trader Joe’s “Organic Rotelle Pasta”)
• 1 yellow bell pepper (orange or red will work, too), cut in thin strips
• 4 medium-sized zucchini, finely chopped (I quarter them, then chop)
• 1 cup butternut squash, cubed
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• salt & pepper
• 1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 Italian Tofurkey Sausage, chopped
• Optional: Light mozzarella cheese if you’re not vegan

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees; spray a 11×7 glass pan with non-stick cooking spray*
• Cook pasta per the package’s instructions. (I rinse in cold water immediately after draining); set aside
• Once all veggies are chopped, mix in a large bowl with the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste
• Add diced tomatoes and sausage, and mix well. Now gradually add in pasta and mix well
• Pour pasta mixture into pan. Top with cheese if you’d like
• Bake for 15-20 minutes until veggies are soft and cheese is melted.
• Nutritional information per 1/6 serving, w/o cheese: 262.50 calories, 5.83g fat, 7.33g fiber, 13g protein (amazing!)
• *I split the mixture into two smaller glass pans; one with cheese, one without

It got Nadia’s stamp of approval

Alternate Ingredients for Pasta Bake – Added 7/28/10

• 8oz. whole-wheat rigatoni (this is half a bag of Trader Joe’s “Organic Rotelle Pasta”)
• 1 green bell pepper
• 4 medium-sized zucchini, finely chopped (I quarter them, then chop)
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• salt & pepper
• 1 14.5-oz can tomato sauce
• 1 Italian Tofurkey Sausage, chopped
• Optional: Light mozzarella cheese if you’re not vegan

Directions

• See above

This revised recipe is so amazing I had to add it!

Need healthy beverage options?

Why ruin all this healthy food by downing it with soda? Try some of the options I listed here that are better than soda, or try Trader Joe’s new Low Calorie Lemonade and Pink Lemonade, $2.69/bottle…

Only 40 calories per cup and its sweetened with stevia. It works great with alcohol, too.

Last Call — $40 Give-Away!

Have you entered the $40 give-away to online stores? You have until tonight, 11:59 p.m. PST! All you have to do is leave a comment, and you’re entered. I will choose a winner via Random Number Generator tomorrow morning.

I’m off to my brother and sis-in-laws block-party later today (can you believe blocks still have those? I think it’s great!). What are you guys up to? What are your “eating” plans? Have a wonderful day!

<3,

The Cranky One

Tags: pasta, picnic food, recipe, vegan entrees