Beef And Penne With Veggies

Total Time: 40 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 beef bouillon cube, dissolved in 1 cup water
• 1 1/2 cups dry penne pasta
• 14 ounces kidney beans, drained
• 1/2 cup water, additional to the boullion
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup bell pepper, chopped
• 14 ounces diced tomatoes with green chilies (mexican style)
• 1 cup shredded cheese, monterey jack or 1 cup cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• chopped zucchini
• mushroom
• broccoli (optional)

Recipe

• 1 in a large skillet, cook beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is cooked; drain.
• 2 stir in beef boullion, dried pasta, bell pepper, kidney beans, water and seasonings.bring to a boil. reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
• 3 add any additional veggies at this time; cover and cook 2-4 minutes longer or until veggies are tender, and pasta is cooked. (if not adding veggies, increase cooking time from 15 minutes to 17-20 minutes, but keep checking the pasta to make sure of desired doneness. i cooked my penne for 16 minutes, and it turned out al dente, which was nice).
• 4 sprinkle with cheese. put lid back on for a minute to melt the cheese.