Description
Creamy one-pot penne with basil-garlic sauce delivers Italian comfort straight to your plate. Home cooks can savor this simple, flavor-packed meal that combines fresh ingredients with minimal kitchen effort.
Ingredients
Scale
- 12 oz (340 g) dried penne pasta
- 1 (12 oz/340 g) bag Whole Foods European Greens Frozen Vegetable Blend
- 3 ½ cups water
- 3 tbsps (45 ml) olive oil, divided
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 oz (28 g) Parmesan cheese
- 2 ½ tsps plus 1/8 tsp kosher salt, divided
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
- Chopped fresh basil leaves, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Crisp Panko Topping: In a skillet, golden-toast breadcrumbs with olive oil and salt until achieving a crunchy texture. Set aside in a separate bowl, then clean the skillet.
- Liquid Base Preparation: Combine water, Greek yogurt, olive oil, salt, and black pepper, whisking into a smooth, homogeneous mixture directly in the skillet.
- Pasta Immersion: Submerge dried penne into the liquid, ensuring complete coverage. Gently stir to prevent pasta from clumping.
- Boiling and Cooking: Elevate heat to high, allowing liquid to reach a vigorous boil. Periodically stir with a wooden spoon to guarantee uniform cooking and prevent sticking.
- Vegetable Integration: At the 7-minute mark, introduce frozen vegetable blend, carefully folding into pasta to maintain even distribution while continuing to cook.
- Final Texture Development: Continue cooking until pasta achieves al dente perfection, vegetables become tender, and liquid reduces to create a luxuriously creamy sauce.
- Cheese Incorporation: Remove from heat, fold in Parmesan cheese until it melts completely, creating a silky, rich coating for the pasta.
- Plating and Finishing: Transfer to serving bowls, generously crown with reserved toasted breadcrumbs and freshly chopped basil leaves for a vibrant, aromatic presentation.
Notes
- Breadcrumb Technique: Toast panko in a dry skillet until golden brown for maximum crunch and nutty flavor, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
- Liquid Ratio Matters: Whisk Greek yogurt and water carefully to create a smooth base that helps pasta cook evenly and develop a creamy texture.
- Pasta Cooking Hack: Stir periodically and ensure pasta is fully submerged to achieve uniform al dente consistency without sticking or uneven cooking.
- Finishing Touch: Add Parmesan cheese off the heat to prevent separation and create a silky, luxurious sauce that coats each pasta strand perfectly.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 400
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 550 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 10 mg