Steve’s Pasta

Our friend Bob is a vegetarian. He’s here for lunch often, so sometimes when we’re having something that’s not vegetarian-friendly, cousin Steve will whip up something suitable for Bob. I had watched Steve make this particular dish a couple of times before I couldn’t stand it any longer. It looked and smelled so good that I wanted to ditch my entree and have Steve’s Pasta. The caramelized onions and the variety of other vegetables give it such a rich taste. Now it is near the top of my request list!

Master ingredient list:

• Olive oil
• Butter
• minced garlic
• yellow squash
• zucchini
• red onion
• green pepper
• red pepper
• mushrooms
• Italian seasoning
• vegetable broth or chicken broth
• heavy cream
• shredded Italian cheese mix
• carmelized onions

Dice the following to come up with the quantities below:
1/2 cup yellow squash
1/2 cup zucchini
1/4 cup red onion
1/4 cup green pepper
1/4 cup red pepper
1 cup mushrooms

Have the following additional ingredients ready:
1 cup carmelized chopped onions. (Start with 2 cups of fresh onions to cook down to 1 cup of carmelized. The process takes a long time. Start with a warm skillet. Add a tablespoon of butter and a teaspoon of olive oil. When it’s hot, add the onions. Cook over medium high heat for a few minutes, then turn down to medium or lower. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are brown and sweet.)
½ tsp. olive oil
1 heaping Tbsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
½ cup chicken broth or vegetable broth

	Step 1 – Add the olive oil to the warm skillet, then put the carmelized onions into the skillet over medium low heat. Add a heaping teaspoon of minced garlic.
	Step 2 – Add the other vegetables and Italian Seasoning. Saute until tender. Add broth and stir until well heated.
	Step 3 – Add 1 cup cream and heat until the cream has been warmed through. Stir in about 1 cup of grated Italian cheese. Continue to heat until the cheese is melted. Add salt and pepper to taste.
	Step 4 -Pour over hot pasta.

Variation: Add some finely chopped sundried tomatoes that have been reconstituted in olive oil.