Vegetarian pasta

Here is a really delicious vegetarian pasta recipe. Its a spin off of a recipe I found on the internet with some of my twists thrown in.

Ingredients:

• 1+1/4 Cups pasta (I prefer elbow, you can use what you prefer)
• 2 Tblsp Olive oil
• 1 Tblsp mixed Italian seasoning
• 4 garlic cloves chopped finely
• 1/2 Tblsp crushed red pepper
• 1 large Onion chopped into thin long slices
• 1 Bell pepper chopped (different colors is nice)
• 1/4 Cup Sun Dried Tomato in Oil chopped
• 1 Cup pasta sauce (I prefer Classico spicy tomato and basil)
• 1 Tsp salt
• Fresh Basil (optional)
• 1 Tblsp pine nuts
• 1 Tblsp finely chopped parsley

First, boil the pasta in water with a couple of pinches of salt or as described on the package instructions. You want the pasta to be al dente - or cooked so as to be firm when eaten. Once cooked, drain the pasta and keep aside.

In a separate big pan, heat the olive oil on medium heat. Add garlic, crushed red pepper and the Italian seasoning and cook for 30 seconds. Now, add the onions, mix well and cook for a minute or so. Then, add the bell peppers to the pan. You can crank the heat up and stir the veggies constantly. Doing this leaves the vegetables nice and crisp.

Next, add the sun dried tomatoes, salt and a pinch of black pepper (optional) to the mix. Cook on medium heat again for about a minute. Add the pasta sauce and mix well.

Finally, add the pasta to the mixture and mix well once again. Cook well for about a minute and turn the stove off. Keep tossing the pasta once in a while if you plan to keep the pasta on the stove.

That's it! Its all done. Serve piping hot with warm garlic bread or garlic dinner rolls. Enjoy.