Clean Eating: Mediterranean Vegetable, White Bean & Feta Penne

I was telling you here how watching Oprah's show on food, our meat and they way its killed and packaged made me realize that my family eats meat at almost every meal. I know its probably the norm in many American families, but I don't want it to be the norm in my home. So began our Meatless Mondays!!

Which meant that planning for our weekly meals meant that I was hoping to find an appetizing meal from my Clean Eating magazine that would help me achieve a happy Meatless Monday for my family. And well, I think it was a success!! The hub's wanted to go back for seconds, but his calories wouldn't let him. I went back for seconds, but little miss wanted nothing to do with it. Oh well, 2 out of 3 isn't bad!

Here is the recipe:

Mediterranean Vegetable, White Bean & Feta Penne

INGREDIENTS:
6 oz whole-grain penne past (we didn't have enough penne on hand so we had to use elbow macaroni. It seemed to work out just as well)
1 cup cooked canned white beans, drained and rinsed well (we used great northern beans)
2 medium tomatoes, chopped (I am not a fan of tomatoes so we only used one)
4 cloves of garlic, minced, divided
1 tbsp balsalmic vinegar
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 medium zucchini, cut into eighths lengthwise, then cut into 2-inch pieces
1 medium green bell pepper, cut into thin strips, then cut into 2-inch pieces
1/2 tsp dried rosemary (we actually used fresh since we had it for another meal)
1 cup crumbled reduced-fat feta

INSTRUCTIONS:
One: Cook penne according to package directions, adding beans during the last minute of cooking.



Two: Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, 2 cloves garlic, vinegar, basil, pepper flakes and salt; set aside.



Three: Heat 1 tsp oil in a large nonstick skiillet on medium-high heat, tilting skillet to coat bottom lightly. Add zucchini and bell pepper and cook for 4 minutes or until edges begin to brown, stirring frequently. Add remaining 2 cloves garlic and cook for 15 seconds, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in tomato mixture and drizzle with remaining 1 tbsp oil. Cover to keep warm.



Four: Drain penne-bean mixture, place in a serving bowl, sprinkle evenly with rosemary and all but 1/4 cup feta. Spoon zucchini mixture over top and finish with remaining feta.



Calories 353, Fat 12g, Carbs 44g, Fiber 11g, Protein 18g
Serving Size: 1 1/2 cup


For our first planned vegetarian meal, we were really happy with it and I am sure we will go to this recipe again! There didn't seem to be as many veggies as what they show in the picture, so just add more or less veggies depending on your preference. If you try it, let me know how you liked it!