Summer Spinach & Pepper Pasta

Nothing says SUMMER like a delicious fresh pasta dish complete with farmers market veggies! We found some interestingly colored peppers at the farmers market, (purple, white, light orange) and I decided to incorporate them into my pasta dish which turned out great. (The pictures don't capture the peppers very well, but it's because they are not as vibrant as we are used to with red peppers.) I also threw in some classic green peppers as well.


Summer Spinach & Pepper Pasta

Ingredients

- 1/4 pound ziti
- 1 onion, diced
- 1/2 green pepper diced
- 3 peppers, any variety (I used purple, white, light orange)
- 6 cloves peeled and minced garlic
- 2 handfuls of FRESH spinach
- 1 cup fresh (or frozen peas)
- 1/2 bag fiesta style veggies (with kidney beans and carrots)
- 5-6 Fresh Basil leaves
- 2 tsps feta cheese
- Light dusting of Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons olive oil for sauteed

TO MAKE:
Pour your olive oil in your large skillet and add your onion, peppers and garlic. Start your large pot of water (for the pasta) and set on the stove on high COVERED. Keep your veggies on med. low heat. Lightly salt and pepper the top of the veggies.

Stir every few minutes. Once your water is boiling, pour in 1/4 cup salt into the boiling water then add your pasta. Ziti tends to stick so stir frequently. Ziti probably only needs about 7-8 minutes to cook. Drain your pasta (DO NOT RINSE WITH WATER)
Next add in your 1/2 bag of frozen veggies and peas and a tiny bit of extra oil to finish sauteing. Lightly salt and pepper the top. You can also add in some crushed red pepper also.

After your veggies are tender, NOT mushy (about 4-5 minutes) add in your fresh spinach and pasta and pour a little more olive oil on top to make stirring easier. Then add your feta and Parmesan cheese and stir a few times. Let this cook for about 2-3 minutes to heat the spinach... our intention is not to wilt the spinach, but just to heat it.

Turn off your stove, plate it up and DIG IN! YUM!!!

This serves 2-3 people.