bell pepper pasta

Some of the easiest, simplest dishes on this site are also the most popular. They're the ones that you guys email me to tell me you tried on a random Wednesday, and that you and your families loved. I won't lie -- those are some of the best emails I get.

And I very much hope that this will fall into that category. This is such an easy, healthy, inexpensive recipe that makes for a delicious dinner. It's vegetarian, but you could easily throw on some grilled chicken strips for a little extra protein or for those members of your family who can't imagine dinner without meat.

A lot of people have a major aversion to green peppers -- I actually like them, but it's like cilantro or celery, you never want to include them when you can find an easy substitute. Yellow and red bell peppers have a softer, mellower flavor without any bitterness -- combine that with some freshly grated Parmesan, great olive oil, and whole wheat pasta, and you're basically done. Delicious and simple!

Bell Pepper Pasta

INGREDIENTS

1 pound whole wheat rotini pasta

1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips

1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips

1 shallot, minced

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup water

1 cup parmesan cheese

2 cloves garlic, minced

Salt

Fresh ground pepper

DIRECTIONS

Boil pasta in salted water according to the package directions. While the pasta is boiling, heat the bell pepper strips, garlic and shallot with 1/4 cup of olive oil and 1/2 cup of water, cooking until the peppers are tender and the water has mostly boiled off. About 1 minute before the pasta is finished, add the parmesan and stir thoroughly. When the pasta is finished, drain the water and add to the pan with the pepper strips and olive oil, and stir. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon into bowls and top with additional parmesan cheese, if desired. Serve.

Serves 4.