15-Minute Weeknight Pasta

15-minute meals are such time savers! This 15-minute weeknight pasta has seasonal vegetables resting on pasta. It’s tossed with a simple sauce, making a scrumptious weeknight meal that is ready in 15 minutes. Thank you United Dairy Industry of Michigan – Milk Means More for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.

Soccer season is nearing a close. That means means by this time next week, I’ll gain an extra 14 hours per week in which to catch up on life off the pitch.

Wow. When I think about it that way, it’s no wonder that all non-athletic related laundry is piling up! Also that I still have a small mountain of boxes left to unpack from the move. All I want to do at the end of the night is slip off my cleats, slide on a pair of flannel jammy pants, and binge on season one of The Flash or Gotham. (We’ll talk about my borderline obsession with super hero television another time.) I’m pretty much existing in a state of perpetual exhaustion. That, coupled with the reality that dinner time is often after 9 p.m., our weeknight dinner choices usually end up being pizza or chocolate chip pancakes. Seriously. 

I wish I could say that we were at least dining on 30 minute homemade pizza, but I would be lying if I did. Nope. My poor sons are relegated to pizza in a box from big franchise, which now that we live in the country-country, is far enough away that it’s cold and semi-adhered to the cardboard by the time we get it home.

Now that the team that I coach has wrapped for the season, we only have the National tournament for Son #1 and the Varsity guys. As much as I look forward to getting a large chunk of my life back, I’m sure that we’ll all be bored and pining for soccer within a week or two. We just love the game and our soccer families that much.

So with only one more week to go, and a family that is near threatening to mutiny if we have pizza yet again, I have to come up with menu ideas that come together quickly so that we can eat a proper meal. Even though I have a veritable arsenal of 30 minute meal recipes, sometimes that requisite half hour of cooking is still too much to ask on a busy weeknight.

Hooray for 15-Minute Weeknight Pasta! The recipe easily lends itself to cleaning out the vegetable crisper so that all those “good intention veggies” purchased at the beginning of the week don’t end up going to waste. 15 Minute Weeknight Pasta is the perfect recipe for those nights where you just can’t even, but still you must.

Besides, the sooner that I get dinner on the table, the sooner I can spend the remainder of the evening editing photos and typing up new recipes with Oliver Queen.

Enjoy this 15-minute weeknight recipe!

Nutrition

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Kirsten Kubert

Yields 6

15 Minute Weeknight Pasta

Seasonal vegetables rest a top pasta tossed with a simple sauce for a scrumptious weeknight meal that is ready in 15 minutes.

5 minPrep Time

10 minCook Time

15 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

• 16 oz. dried pasta of choice (linguine or penne are preferred)
• 2-3 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 1/2 C. (1 small) thinly sliced onion
• 1 C. (2 medium) thinly sliced carrots
• 1 C. (1 small) thinly sliced sweet bell pepper
• 1/2 C. grape tomatoes, halved
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
• 1/2 C. shredded smoked provolone cheese
• 1 C. reserved pasta water
• 1/4 C. chopped fresh parsley, optional
• Parmesan cheese for serving, optional

Instructions

1. Bring 6 quarts of water to a rolling boil, and prepare dried pasta according to package directions for al dente (with bite—not mushy) texture.
2. While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a large skillet set over medium heat. Once the butter begins to froth, stir in the onions, carrots, and sweet bell peppers. Sauté the vegetables for about 5 minutes, or until they brighten and color and being to soften. Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, and garlic to the skillet. Cook and stir for another minute to allow the tomatoes to release their juices.
3. At this point, the pasta should be cooked al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water prior to draining. Drain the pasta in a large colander. Pour the reserved pasta water into the skillet, stirring well, and bringing the sauce to a boil. Once the sauce is boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 3 minutes. Taste the sauce and adjust seasonings.
4. Transfer the pasta to the skillet, along with the smoked provolone cheese, tossing well to coat. Serve immediately with additional cheese and fresh parsley sprinkled over top.

7.8.1.2

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https://comfortablydomestic.com/2015/10/15-minute-weeknight-pasta/

Comfortably Domestic - 2016

Do you have any favorite 15-minute weeknight recipes?