Rigatoni with Sauce from the Whole Garden

It’s harvest time, folks! Back in the day when I was living a hippie-inspired life in Albuquerque, I had a wonderful garden. The irrigation was already in place, so I dug trenches for the water to flow, and my husband helped me cover the entire garden with indoor-outdoor carpeting. That’s right. Indoor-outdoor carpeting! I cut slits in the carpet where I planted the vegetables. The carpet kept moisture in and weeds out. ​     My, did my garden grow in the hot Albuquerque summer. I had tomatoes galore, onions, carrots, peppers, cabbage, corn, and especially zucchini.       I found this recipe in a hippie magazine one day. Now that I finally have a substantial garden again, it’s back on the menu as a main dish at our house. The amounts in this recipe are only suggestions. Adjust to what produce you have on hand. So good and so good for you!

Servings: 6    Serving size: 1 cup   Preparation time: 45 minutes   Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped 1 medium garlic clove, minced 1 cup onion, chopped  ½ cup leeks, chopped ¼ cup radishes, chopped 1 medium carrot, chopped ½ medium green pepper, chopped ½ cup cabbage, coarsely chopped, I medium zucchini, coarsely chopped 2 medium tomatoes 3 tablespoons basil 8 ounces tomato juice 1 teaspoon salt ​8 ounces uncooked whole-grain rigatoni 4 ounces fresh Romano cheese, grate 4 ounces fresh Parmesan cheese ½ cup skim ricotta cheese 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided ​1 tablespoon fresh basil or other herb ​

Directions 1. Mix the parsley, garlic, onions, leeks, radishes, and carrots together in a bowl. 2. Heat 2 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot and add the vegetables, stirring until the carrots and onions are soft. 3. Add cabbage, zucchini, tomatoes, basil, and tomato juice. 4. Simmer covered, stirring often until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. 5. Meanwhile, cook the pasta with salt and drain, timing it to be ready just before the veggies are done. 6. Place pasta in a large bowl and mix with cheeses and 1 tablespoon olive oil, then transfer to individual plates or bowls. 7. Top with garden sauce. Sprinkle a little fresh grated Parmesan and fresh chopped basil or other herbs on top and serve.

I hope you enjoy this dish. Let me know if you’ve tried it and how it turned out.

Good cooking to you,

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