Creamy Vegeroni Pasta Primavera

I'm getting tired of serving breakfast items such as scrambled eggs, hotdogs and other preserved meats to my kids. Even a macaroni soup, classic spaghetti, or pancit canton (chinese chow mein) sounds too satiating already. So, off, I went to my food magazine rack to seek for some rescue from this culinary dilemma. Fortunately, I found this Creamy Pasta Primavera recipe featured in Jan - Feb 2008 issue of Yummy Magazine. I just tweak the recipe to my own liking. Pasta Primavera is a hearty combination of pasta and vegetables that is too inviting to savour. Like I said in my previous post here, I'm facing the challenge of raising gourmet kids. Luckily, this pasta recipe glued the kids to their seats at the dining table. However, I never realized that I will be too.

Creamy Vegeroni Pasta Primavera

Ingredients:

½ of 375g-vegeroni pasta, cooked according to package directions
300 g boneless chicken breast, cut into chunks
4 tbsps canola oil
2 tbsps butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large carrot, julienne
1 bulb white onion, cut into chunks
1 pc red bell pepper, cut into chunks
1 pc green bell pepper, cut into chunks
1 small zucchini, sliced into chunks
1 tetra pack all purpose cream
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
½ cup pasta water

Procedure:

1. Cook Vegeroni Pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Save about ½ cup of pasta water.
2. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Pan-fry in canola oil until slightly brown. Set aside.
3. Melt butter on the same pan and sauté garlic until light brown in color.
4. Add vegetables and cook until tender. Put first the ones longer to cook.
5. While vegetables are cooking, pour all-purpose cream and reserved pasta water in a saucepan. Add parmesan cheese and simmer on low fire until thick. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Add cooked chicken and pasta to the vegetables. Mix well.
7. Pour cream sauce over pasta and vegetable mix and stir well to coat evenly. Serve hot.

The use of vegeroni pasta made the dish colorful and looked more inviting for the kids. It also perfectly matched the "pasta primavera" concept which normally consists of pasta and vegetables.