Miranda's Hodge-Podge
This is a simple weekday meal that my dad would make at least once a week. I loved it and make it for my family every couple of months to keep the tradition alive. It is really quick, basic, and has veggies my son will only eat this way.
This is a simple weekday meal that my dad would make at least once a week. I loved it and make it for my family every couple of months to keep the tradition alive. It is really quick, basic, and has veggies my son will only eat this way.
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound penne tri-color pasta
- 2 tablespoons fine sea salt or 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
- 1 pound kielbasa sausage cut into 1/4 inch wedges
- 2 medium zucchini cut into 1/4 inch wedges
- 2 medium yellow squash cut into 1/4 inch wedges
- 1 medium onion sliced 1/4 inch lengthwise
- 1 large red bell pepper sliced 1/4 inch lengthwise
- 1 container baby bella cremini mushrooms cut into quarters or halves depending on size
- 2-3 cloves fresh garlic, peeled press garlic or chop very fine
- 1/2 jar favorite pasta sauce we like bertolli organic basil and olive oil
- reduced fat mozzarella shredded
- Carbohydrate 7.73786666666667 g
- Cholesterol 54.4310844 mg
- Fat 20.9543759604079 g
- Fiber 2.32300001382828 g
- Protein 13.4611814388333 g
- Saturated Fat 6.79533414423331 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (334g)
- Sodium 2828.24592907081 mg
- Sugar 5.41486665283839 g
- Trans Fat 1.91555446323987 g
- Calories 272 calories
Step-by-step
- In large pasta pot, add salt to water and bring to boil. Add pasta and cook per directions for al dente.
- Use pan from browning sausage and add olive oil. Heat to medium until olive oil begins to ripple, but not smoke, and scrape brown bits into olive oil for added flavor for 30 seconds.
- Add onions, red bell pepper, zucchini and squash. Stir gently every 30 seconds until veggies begin to brown. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Turn heat to low. Add mushrooms and garlic. Stir gently to mix ingredients for approx. 3 minutes. Do not let garlic burn.
- After draining pasta (do NOT run under cold water), put back into pot on low heat.
- Add browned sausage and sauce.
- Stir occasionally and keep covered until veggies are completed.
- Once veggies are cooked, add to pot, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan.
- Combine ingredients gently by folding from the outside in.
- Serve with mozzarella on top.
The ingredient list alone hides the physical transformation that occurs when cured pork fat renders into seasoned vegetable oil. Understanding how to manage pan fond and starch determines whether this dish succeeds or turns watery.
- Cut every piece of zucchini, yellow squash, and kielbasa to an identical quarter-inch thickness so the moisture evaporates at the exact same rate.
- Heat the olive oil until it ripples, but pull the pan off the burner immediately if the surface sends up vertical streams of blue smoke.
- Scrape the browned fond from the sausage immediately upon adding the oil; those caramelized proteins supply the primary umami base for the entire vegetable blend.
- Add minced garlic during the final three minutes of vegetable cooking, because sulfur compounds in garlic turn bitter and acrid if exposed to medium heat for too long.
- Drain the penne directly into the pot without rinsing, leaving residual surface starch on the pasta grains so the sauce clings properly instead of sliding off.
Retaining crisp-tender vegetable structures requires strict adherence to low heat once the mushrooms enter the pan. Moisture release from mushrooms will steam the surrounding peppers and squash if the burner remains set above medium-low.
