Pasta is a dish I could eat every single night. It is economical, easy, and the kids love it too. I usually try to make it as healthy as possible by adding lots of vegetables and using a whole grain pasta. My husband is always looking for the meatballs or other types of meat but sometimes he just can’t find any. Since many people use Mondays as a way to go meatless, I thought I’d share this dish with you today.
This pasta dish is not as healthy as I sometimes make it. But it is also not as heavy as you would get in a restaurant. It is a nice light dish that is perfect served with a salad and a glass of wine. It can be made in under 30 minutes and is especially good reheated. Unfortunately, there were no leftovers to be found.
- 12 ounces penne pasta
- 2 TBS olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ¾ cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
- 1 can (14 oz) of artichoke hearts(rinsed, drained and chopped)
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 TBS fresh chopped basil (if not available 2 tsps of dried basil can be used)
- ¼ cup half and half
- shredded Parmesan cheese to taste
- red pepper to taste
- Boil the pasta in a large pot of water according to package directions. Cook pasta until Al dente. Drain and keep warm. Reserve one cup of hot pasta water.
- In the meantime, heat olive oil in a large saute pan on medium high heat. Saute garlic, sun dried tomatoes, artichokes and peas for about 5 minutes.
- Reduce heat to low and add basil. Add cooked pasta, reserved water and half and half to the pan. Mix well and simmer for a few minutes until pasta is creamy.
- Sprinkle with cheese and pepper to taste.









{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Fabulous looking recipe!
This looks like a perfect weeknight meal! I love throwing together pasta with tons of veggies for an easy meal.
This certainly is a great combination, something my family would like.
Mmm, this looks so good, Lisa! And perfect because I have some sun dried tomatoes I need to use up!
WOW-this looks amazing and the flavors are all my favorites. Must try this recipe sometime soon.
I’m with you, I could eat pasta every day.
It is very amazing! since this kind of recipe is economically and it’s easy to cook! thumbs up for this food!
The worst part of this is the half and half, and honestly even that’s not terribly unhealthy in the amount used here!
This looks so scrumptious!
This looks excellent, i think it would definitely pass the “no-meat” dinner test for my fiance too! I’m also from NJ – been reading your blog a bit!
i just love those sundried tomatoes in there. this looks like such a crowd pleaser!
Oh my goodness, Lisa!! This sounds so delicious. I looove sundried tomatoes
Great recipe!
This is like the perfect meal to me.