A mangiare!

A little late in coming but never too late! Since food is such a passion of mine so is eating. My greatest food love is Italian food and in all modesty, I think I cook pasta dishes pretty well for being an amateur. So, in light of this love of all things Italian I bring to you my first recipe in this diary. It's quick and easy to make on the fly. All you need are a few vegetables, some mini penne pasta and a good attitude.

Vegetable Pasta Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 large can of diced tomatoes (28 oz)
• 1 medium zucchini, halved and sliced
• 3 carrots, diced
• 1 medium yellow squash, halved and sliced
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 small green pepper, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic chopped
• 2 green onions, chopped
• a bunch of sweet basil, roughly chopped
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 2 Tbsp. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Prepare the pasta of your choice (I used mini penne) as directed. Meanwhile, chop all vegetables and fresh herbs preparing to make the sauce. Open can of tomatoes and set aside.
2. Heat olive oil over low-medium heat in dutch oven and once hot enough add onions, green pepper, celery and garlic. Sautee for about 3-4 minutes. Add zucchini and squash and let cook for about 10 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes, carrots, basil, green onions, sugar, salt and pepper. Let simmer on medium-low heat, covered for around 15-20 minutes or until carrot is to desired texture. 
4. Serve over pasta warm and add parmesan cheese sprinkled on top if desired.

Simple, right? Now go ahead and try it. Happy cooking and eating!

The finished product...