Mushroom Pasta Primavera

I was really excited to find this recipe in the August/September 'Taste of Home' magazine because it gave me a chance to use some of the vegetables that are just now ripe enough to pick from my garden.  This is a great summer pasta dish-- light enough to enjoy on a hot day, inexpensive, and altogether pretty healthy!  It was also a great option for my milk allergy son as he was able to simply eat his without the Parmesan sprinkled on top.

My one bit of advice would be to have all of your vegetables chopped and ready before starting to cook them.  The magazine offers a great tip as well, which I learned from my mother years ago.  The recipe calls for peeled tomatoes.  In order to peel them easily, drop them into boiling water for about a minute, then immediately into ice cold water.  The skins will peel right off for you.  If you want to save a step, I really am not so sure that you need to peel them in the first place.  I think it would be just fine with the skins left on, and actually might allow the tomatoes to hold up a little better in the cooking process.

Mushroom Pasta Primavera


1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 whole garlic bulb, peeled and minced
15 plum tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 medium zucchini, chopped
2 medium carrots, grated
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 medium red pepper, chopped
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 pound cooked pasta (I used fettuccine)
Parmesan cheese to top

In a large saucepan, saute the onion in oil until tender.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute.  Add the tomatoes, zucchini, carrots, peppers, water, salt, and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.  Stir occasionally.  Stir in the mushrooms and cook for another 10 minutes or so, until tender.  Serve over the cooked pasta.  Sprinkle with cheese.

Source: Slightly Adapted from "Taste of Home" magazine (August/September 2010)

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Zucchini

Not exactly the healthiest option for using my zucchini, but when my mother told me she used to wrap her stuffed zucchini with bacon, I knew I couldn't make it any other way! The flavors melded so well together and all plates were clean at the end of this meal. I served the zucchini next to a bed of white rice along with some fresh breadsticks. Thanks again to Christy for sharing her crop of zucchini with us. I'm hoping my garden catches up sometime in the near future so that we can make this one again soon!

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Zucchini
2 large zucchini
1 - 1.5 pounds ground round
1 onion, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jar tomato sauce
garlic salt, to taste
oregano, to taste
bread crumbs
1 package bacon (center cut if available)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 9 x 13 glass baking dish with cooking spray.

Cut zucchini in half lengthwise. Trim a small amount of the bottom of each half so that the zucchini will lay flat in the baking dish. Scoop out the inside part of the zucchini, creating a boat for the filling. In a large saute pan, brown the ground round with the onion and garlic. Drain off grease and mix with spaghetti sauce, garlic salt, and oregano. Fill the zucchini boats with the meat mixture, mounding slightly. Sprinkle bread crumbs over the top of the meat and then wrap with the uncooked bacon. Place the zucchini in the prepared baking dish and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 45 minutes, uncover and bake for another 15 minutes or until the bacon is browned and crispy. Serve with white rice.