Zucchini and White Bean Pasta with Fennel and Mushrooms

Eating Well is another great recipe source for me. Recently, I tried their Zucchini, Fennel & White Bean Pasta recipe. I could tell just by reading it that I would like it. But, that's just it--like it, not love it. I tweaked it a little bit before tasting it. It still has a ways to go and is a little bland but is a solid dish and will be better with a little more adjusting.



Here is what I did:

Ingredients

1 medium zucchini
1/2 fennel bulb
1 handful baby bella mushrooms
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
5-6 oz whole grain penne pasta
2 cloves garlic
1 can white beans, drained
2 vine ripe tomatoes, chopped
2 oz fresh goat cheese
2 tsps dried mint leaves
ground black pepper

Directions:

First, I preheated the oven to 400 degrees. Then, I cut the fennel into 4 wedges. Next, I cut the zucchini in half lengthwise. I cut each half into thirds lengthwise so that I had 6 wedges. I tossed the zucchini and fennel in about 1/2 Tbsp olive oil and placed them on a baking sheet in a single layer. I put them in the oven and roasted them for 20 minutes. I turned them over at the 10 minute mark. I also tossed the mushrooms with a tiny bit of oil and added them to the baking sheet for the last 5-6 minutes of roasting. When you take the veggies out, they will be just starting to turn a little golden.

While the veggies were in the oven, I made the pasta. I also rinsed the beans. When I drained the pasta, I reserved 1/2 of the cooking liquid for later.

After removing the veggies from the oven, I let them cool until the point I could coarsely chop them. Next, I heated the remaining Tbsp of olive oil in a skillet. Then, I added the garlic (minced) and stirred for about 30 seconds. After, I added the veggies, beans, pasta, and reserved liquid to the pan. I mixed the ingredients together until about evenly distributed. Then, I added the tomatoes (chopped) until just warm. Next, I removed the skillet from the heat and mixed in the mint and goat cheese.

My husband and I both seasoned our dishes with ground black pepper individually, to taste.

This is a good, warm fall dish. With a little improvement in the seasoning department, it will be great!