Monday, August 24, 2009

Harvest Spaghetti




Hello my friends! I'm back...kind of. We are home from vacation, and while it was such a good time, it's also very nice being home. Now we have one more visit from Glenn's parents, and then I am going to be spending the month of September hibernating like a bear!

I missed you all and your mouthwatering creations. I am going to be doing my best in the next few days getting caught up, and I really look forward to seeing what you've all been up to!

My mom and I had so much fun getting in the kitchen together and putting together some delicious meals. Okay, I'm going to be honest, she did most of the cooking, while I tasted, learned and marveled. That woman can cook! This, however, is a dish we made together and we both enjoy so much. It's a spaghetti dish packed with tons of veggies and whole wheat noodles. It's satisfying, rich, and oh so good for you. It's a good thing too, because the majority of the trip was spent eating things that, well, were not!

Harvest Spaghetti

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped finely
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 green pepper, chopped
1/2 zucchini, either grated, or diced finely
1/2 yellow summer squash, grated, or chopped finely
1 cup white or cremini mushrooms, chopped
1/2 can olives, chopped
1 pound lean ground beef, turkey, or sausage, cooked and drained
fresh basil, torn
1-2 tablespoons Italian Seasoning
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 14 oz can tomato sauce
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste

1 medium sized box whole wheat spaghetti, cooked and drained

grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Saute onions, garlic and green peppers for 2-3 minutes, until they begin to soften. Add zucchini, squash and mushrooms, cook until vegetables are soft. Add olives, beef, Italian seasonings, and fennel, stir until combined. Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and salt and pepper. Simmer for 10-20 minutes, or until sauce reduces and thickens to desired consistency (I like mine nice and thick).

Pour sauce over individual helpings of spaghetti noodles and top with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

32 comments:

Lara said...

Welcome back Teresa! This dish looks perfect to use up a summer harvest!

Jenn said...

Welcome back!! A perfect meal to start up the blog once again. Nothing like a nice plateful of spaghetti.

Denise said...

Glad you are back, this dish looks perfect for summertime.

Jersey Girl Cooks said...

I love good for you pasta!

Donna-FFW said...

I did indeed miss you... So glad youre back.

Delicious healthy pasta dish!

chow and chatter said...

yum love spaghetti

Heather S-G said...

Welcome back :) Your sketti looks delicious!

Ingrid_3Bs said...

Yay, welcome back Teresa! Glad to hear that you had a wonderful time and ate well! Love the Mom's food!
~ingrid

Kim said...

Welcome back and a great welcome back post. Spaghetti packed with veggies sounds great to me. A fantastic way to get in all those veggies : )

Julie said...

Glad you're back! The past looks super :)

Trish said...

I agree....harvest foods look AND feel good. WElcome back with a great post.

Lynn said...

I love the idea of a harvest spaghetti. I'll bet this would be amazing with fresh tomatoes added, too :) Yum.

foodcreate said...

Love pasta Simply a great pleasure your pasta looks so Yummy !!!

thanks for sharing your recipe:)



Welcome~~
http://foodcreate.com


Have a wonderful Day !

Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...

So glad you're back, you were missed! I love pasta and the fresh veggies and all the flavors you have going on are making my mouth water!

Reeni said...

Yay! Your back with an incredibly delicious dish. Such an excellent way to enjoy the bounty of vegetables available now.

Christo Gonzales said...

glad you are back! and pass me a bowl of that comfort!

Palidor said...

Very yummy pasta! I'd love to crumble some ricotta on top.

I'm glad you revisited my blog, because your blog got lost in my mess of bookmarks. I've been meaning to add it to my links, and you reminded me. Thanks!

Erica said...

So glad to see that you're back!!! I always feel like I need a vacation after vacation :) What a awesome and hearty looking pasta dish. Yummy.

Katy ~ said...

So good to see you again, my friend. Your time with your family sounds so happy and fun.

Pasta is a favorite with me, and this sauce sounds DELISH with all those fabulous fresh veggies in it. I would love a big HEAPING plate of this!

Melody said...

Welcome back stranger! I bet you are exhausted and happy to be back home. How fun to have time to cook with your mom! This looks amazing!

Pam said...

I love that you used fennel seeds - it's my favorite seasoning in pasta sauce. It looks wonderful!

theUngourmet said...

Hurray! So nice to see you! I hope you had a really good time! I missed ya! ;0)

Great Spaghetti. Hearty and Healthy!

Anonymous said...

Love this recipe! am going to try it on my 6 year old son!!!

Judy said...

Welcome back and thanks for a great spaghetti recipe. Perfect for this time of year.

Leslie said...

Glad your back and had a great vacation!!!
Yummy Spaghetti

Kaitlin said...

Welcome back! Glad you are back, I enjoy coming here and looking at your recipes. This one is another hit!

Anonymous said...

YAY you're back! And with a bombdiggity recipe! Funny how you call it "harvest" when it's all summer produce...kind of a double entendre, making me realize that fall is coming and I need to mass up on as much summer bounty as possible!

Coleens Recipes said...

Welcome back, it sounds like you are going to need a vacation to recover from the vacation. Your spaghetti looks delicious...which I had a bowl right now.

Cathy said...

What a great way to use some of the veggies that fill my fridge. Does everybody grow zucchini except me?

How wonderful to spend some time in the kitchen with you mom.

Anonymous said...

Welcome back! Hopefully September will be a calm month for you! :D

Love this recipe too :D

Alissa said...

Yum. Looks hearty and healthy! 2 things I love!!! I'm glad you're back too!

Barbara Bakes said...

How nice to spend the time with your mom. I wish my mom was well enough to cook with me. The spaghetti sounds perfect for this time of year!