Sicilian Penne and Veggies (and/or Chicken)

Today, I'm going to teach you how to make some pasta. Now, I know what you're thinking: Pasta is super easy. And you're right, which is why we're making it. It's also super cheap and quick. But dressing your pasta up to make it all fancy and tasty might seem a little more difficult, especially if you're like me and have the culinary expertise of a drunk toddler. But this recipe is going to be all the things pasta should be (easy, quick, and cheap), while also being tasty as heck.

We're going to need some ingredients. These should do:

• 1 Zucchini
• 4 oz Button Mushrooms
• 4 oz Grape Tomatoes
• 1/4 oz Chives
• 1 Lemon
• 6 oz Penne Pasta
• 1 TBSP Italian Seasoning
• 1 TBSP Mushroom Stock Concentrate
• 1 TBSP Creme Fraiche
• 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
• 1 TBSP Olive Oil
• 1.5 TBSP Butter
• Salt
• Pepper

Optionally: if mushrooms aren't your kind of protein, or you just want to add a little more protein into this recipe, you're going to need a chicken breast. The one I used was about 0.75 lbs. But maybe you're vegetarian. Just don't follow the optional step in the recipe outline below.

This recipe is going to make two servings, so it's perfect for date night or if you're like me and you're trying to pack your lunch more often, so you don't eat fast food every single day of your life.

Additionally, you're going to need some utensils. This is going to be pretty dish-lite, which is nice if you hate cleaning up. You'll need one large pan, one medium pot, a strainer, a spatula, one of those pasta spoon things (you know, the spoon with teeth), some measuring utensils, a knife, a cutting board, and a medium bowl.

Now let's get started.

Step one of any recipe is to gather your ingredients. Here's mine. You may notice, glancing at this picture, that there are already some inconsistencies. First of all, there's no creme fraiche (whatever that is). Well, Walmart doesn't sell it, and I didn't want to figure out how to make it. Sour cream is perfect as a substitute. Also, those aren't button mushrooms, they're baby bellas. Basically the same though, probably. Lastly, you've probably noticed a lack of mushroom stock concentrate. That's because I forgot to have it ready. Don't be like me, get everything ready before you start cooking so you don't have to panic when you get to that step.

Now, let's boil some water. And I can't stress this enough: add salt to the water. If I had a nickel for every time I've forgotten to do this and then the pasta sticks to the pot and gets awful, I'd be rich. While that's going, prep your veggies. Trim the zucchini and then quarter it lengthwise, then cut it into 1/2-inch-thick pieces. Unless you got pre-sliced mushrooms (like I did), make sure you trim and thinly slice those. Halve the tomatoes (orientation probably doesn't matter). Mince the chives. Quarter the lemon. If you're going the chicken route, cut it into bit-sized chunks.

Now heat a drizzle of olive oil in your pan over medium-high heat. Once it's hot, throw the zucchini pieces in and season them with salt and pepper. You almost can't go overboard, but I usually give it about seven or eight cranks on my grinders, which is maybe about a teaspoon. You're cooking that, stirring occasionally, for about 4-6 minutes or until they're softened and golden brown. Then transfer them into a medium bowl.

Using the same pan, heat another drizzle of olive oil over medium-high heat (honestly, just keep that pan hot). Toss in your mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5-7 minutes or until they're golden brown and crispy. Then season them with salt and pepper and transfer them to the bowl with your zucchini.

By now your water should be boiling. Add your penne. That's going to cook for about 9-11 minutes (I usually end up doing the full 11). Make sure you stir it occasionally. When it's ready, drain it, but save one cup of the water, you'll use it later.

Next up are the tomatoes. Again, using the same pan as the zucchini and mushrooms, heat a drizzle of olive oil and 1/2 TBSP butter. Add the tomatoes and 1 tsp of Italian Seasoning, salt, and pepper. Now, you can buy little jars of Italian Seasoning for about a dollar at Walmart. But I thought I had some and didn't, so I didn't buy it and had to figure out how to make my own. That, however, is a recipe for another time. Cook your tomatoes for about 2 minutes.

So here's where the optional step comes in. If you're not doing chicken, leave your tomatoes in the pan and skip to the next paragraph. Otherwise, throw your tomatoes in the bowl with your zucchini and mushrooms and add 1 TBSP of butter and your chicken chunks to the pan and season with 1 tsp Italian Seasoning, salt, and pepper. This is going to cook for 3-5 minutes, or until there's no pink on any sides and you start to get a golden brown crust going. Once done, put the chicken in a separate bowl and throw all the veggies back into the pan.

Stir in half of the chives and juice from half the lemon. Reduce heat to low, then stir in your stock concentrate and 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water. It was at this moment I realized the stock concentrate I had was not mushroom, but actually seasoned veggie, but we're rolling with it. Now stir in your creme fraiche (or sour cream if you took the easy route like me) and season with salt and pepper. You can add the chicken back in at this point too. Soon, your veggies (and chicken) should be coated in a creamy reddish-orange sauce that is going to taste as good as it looks.

Add in your penne and 1 TBSP butter until melted. If you need to thin out the sauce a bit, you can add more pasta water a splash at a time. Once everything is covered, turn off the heat, it's time to serve.

Put the pasta in a bowl, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and chives, and serve with the remaining lemon wedges. Like I mentioned, this should get you two servings, but it's very filling and I think you could argue this is a three-serving recipe.

Now for the cost. Assuming you're starting entirely from scratch (as in, not even salt and pepper in the kitchen) and assuming you're not using chicken, you're looking at a grand total of $31.92 for two (or possibly three) servings:

Zucchini: $0.81

Mushrooms: $2.38/8 oz.

Grape Tomatoes: $2.48/10 oz.

Chives: $2.08/0.5 oz.

Lemon: $0.63/per

Penne: $0.92/16 oz.

Italian Seasoning: $1.00/0.95 oz.

Stock Concentrate: $4.28/8 oz.

Creme Fraiche Sour Cream: $1.16/8 oz.

Parmesan Cheese: $2.22/6 oz.

Olive Oil: $5.82/16.9 fl oz.

Butter: $3.98/16 oz.

Salt Grinder: $2.08/2.12 oz.

Pepper Grinder: $2.08/2.12 oz.

But these prices and quantities are generally more than what you'll need, and with just one extra zucchini and one extra lemon, you can make this whole recipe twice. I'm going to argue cost is a non-issue. And it's super quick. This meal clocks in around 30 minutes from prep to plate. And to top it all off, it's damn delicious.