Spaghetti with Chilli Garlic and Veggies

Pasta is one of the most comforting foods and most often, a quick-and-easy meal on a busy day when you have less than a half hour to put dinner out on the table. The inspiration for this recipe is from two different sources - First source: I was watching Giada De Laurentis's show "Everyday Italian" a couple of years ago on Food Network and she made this quick and easy Pasta with chilli oil and garlic. It looked so delicious that I made it right then, right after I was
done watching the show. Love Giada's recipes! Second Source: I had this delicious veggie pasta at my good friend Mel's wedding Reception last year that had roasted red peppers, spinach and Mozzarella. So I figured I'd get one heck of a flavorful pasta if I put these two together.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients: 1 lb Pasta (Spaghetti), Red pepper(1), Spinach (1 cup- fresh or frozen), Broccoli( 1 cup - florets), Garlic( 1 bulb), Red Chilli flakes(2 tsp), Lime juice (3 tsp), Pine nuts(1/2 cup), Shredded Mozzarella cheese (1/2 cup), Olive oil (1 Tbsp + 2 tsp), Salt, Pepper

Cook away...
> Cook the Pasta till it gets al-dente according to the instructions on the package
> Chop the Red Pepper and garlic into thin long slices, separate the broccoli florets
> Put a Tbsp of olive oil in a pan and drop the Red Pepper slices, broccoli and spinach and saute on medium heat for 5-7 minutes and remove
> In a separate hot pan, add 2 tsp olive oil and add the chilli flakes and let it cook for a minute or so. Then add the garlic slices and saute for a few minutes, till garlic turns golden brown and remove from stove top
> Before draining the Pasta, store a couple of Tbsps of pasta water.
> Drain pasta and drop it in the serving bowl
> Add the pasta water, Red Pepper and the veggies and toss gently.
> Now add the Chilli Garlic mixture and toss some more
> Add the Mozzarella cheese and toss lightly
> Top with Pine nuts
> Dig in!

My Thoughts...
> If you are not a big red chilli flakes person, cut it down to one tsp. Same thing with garlic, if you are not a big garlic eater, limit it to a couple of cloves. I LOVE garlic and tend to use it a lot in my cooking. The nice thing about this recipe is it is quite flexible in terms of the ingredients. You could probably add in more veggies like Zucchini or green peas.
> I made a "kiddie" version of this last night for my two-year old. Before adding the chilli garlic mixture in, I took some of the pasta out into a bowl(with the veggies already added) and added some tomato basil marinara sauce to it. Two-in-one meals, gotta love them!

Coming soon... recipes for some spicy, yummy Indian dishes. Have a wonderful weekend and stay cool.