Barilla Penne Pasta recipe -An Italian affair

 'Life is a combination of magic and pasta.'  ~ Federico Fellini

Life is the best-est magician I've ever seen and I am it's wonder child ; it gave me surprises after surprises from time to time and made me go totally in awe of it -sometimes happy ,sometimes sloppy. Same thing happened when I came across these surprisingly cute shaped food items ,famously known as Pasta -  Spaghetti,Macaroni,Farfalle,Fettuccine,Penne,shell,Fussilli,Rigatoni to name a few .Honestly,I never ever saw (other than in some Hollywood movies) or even tasted or knew these names or there are more of it's kind until I left India.

Well ,if it was not Mr.Federico Fellini,it would have been my better 1/2 who would have coined this saying for sure.I think I've told you once,twice or thrice ,or if you are not aware ,there is another reason why I call my better 1/2 "Honey "P" "."P"izza,"P"asta,"P"uttu,"P"avvakka etc etc any foody- goody item that starts with letter "P" is his utter weakness even more than the letter "M" ("M"e!) . .

As genius people like you might have already guessed it,he was the one who introduced me to "Pasta" and my better 1/2 who was head over heels over her,the Pasta,set up a date .A threesome!! (Now keep your dirty mind under control hahaha...) .Honey P,Myself & she,Pasta- An edible Indo-Italian rendezvous !! 

Well,she failed to impress yours truly though. So,I brought her home. We still didn't get along well. Whenever I tried to makeover her (read:cook) - she either became jiggly,or mushy and sometimes stiff as a stick as if she wanted to spank me :D.Not to mention,honey P,didn't approve it either.This and this versions were good .But still ,I was not at all impressed ....the "WOW" factor was missing somehow,until I bought ,"Barilla's (Italy's #1 brand of pasta), Penne Veggie Pasta " ,which is made with fresh carrots and tomato purees. Each 3.5 oz portion of Barilla Veggie provides 20% of the daily recommended amount of vegetables.

It has the natural color of the vegetables it contains.Moreover,it also has sufficient Vitamin A,C,Calcium,Iron,Phosphorus,,fiber and protein as well .

And do I've to tell you ,"I was sold" !! Now that is impressive !! Ain't it ? Since I was already impressed by its content ,I strictly followed the instructions given clearly at the back of this packet ,"How to cook pasta the right way ?"  and then I added more veges to it like onion ,garlic,Broccoli and then added some spices,sauce and cream to give it the extra zing that can make my pallet dance and finally romance this pasta named Penne (even though I am married & straight). By the way "Did you know ?"  - Penne means "pen" in Italian, got its name from its tube shape with angled ends cut to resemble a quill or pen point. Penne have ridges, which allows them to hold more sauce.(Credit:Barilla.com)
So,here it is ,how to make an easy penne pasta recipe ..... Penne Pasta with Broccoli recipe Ingredients Barilla's Veggie Penne Pasta - 1 Packet (12 oz) Broccoli florets- 2 cups Onion,medium,sliced - 1 no. Garlic cloves,minced - 2 tablespoons Dry red chilly flakes - 1-2 teaspoon Chicken Broth - 1/4 cup(optional) Marinara sauce - 2 cups Sour cream - 1/4 cup (optional) Salt and pepper to taste Olive oil/butter - 2-3 tablespoons Method: Cook pasta exactly according to the instruction at the back of the packet. Heat oil in a wide pan. Add the onions,garlic and chilly flakes,saute it until onions are transparent ,on medium flame. Add pasta and chicken broth to it .Boil ,then let it simmer for a minute. Add broccoli ,salt,pepper and 1 cup of marinara sauce to it,mix well,on low flame. Finally, add the sour cream and mix everything well. Just before serving ,add another cup of marinara sauce to it as this pasta recipe does have the tendency to get thicken if kept for long. Enjoy..a healthy al dente nutritious pasta !! Note: You know right,you can add any vegetable of your choice and chicken,egg,sausages etc as per your taste.   If you are a cheese person,add some shredded cheese to it.
Well,that's how I fell in love with honey P's passion-ate,Penne Pasta.An edible Italian affair is just to be continued................ Live,love,laugh,eat DELICIOUSLY