Vegetable pasta

It was rainy today and was in no mood to cook, until my cravings for a hot lunch took over. So I ran to my no fuss pasta dish. I use both the alfredo and marinara sauce in equal portions as I find marinara too tomtoey and alfredo too creamy. You can dress this pasta with as much or as little vegetables you want. Enjoy

Preparation time: 10 min
Cooking time: 15 min
Serves: 3-4

8 oz of penne or rotini pasta
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 large spanish onion
1 tomato
8 oz of cremini mushrooms
1 cup of coarsely chopped broccoli florets.. you can use cauliflower, carrots combo as well
6 dried red chillies
3 cloves of garlic
0.5 teaspoon of dried Italian seasoning (store bought I use McCormick)
1 cup of loosely packed basil leaves
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese for garnish
1.5 cups of store bought marinara
1.5 cups of store bought alfredo
salt to taste
fresh ground pepper 1 teaspoon

• Prep your vegetables, chop the onions, tomatoes, mushrooms into bite sized pieces; crush the red chillies into flakes, mince garlic
  
• Spike about 2 liters of water with 2 tablespoons of salt and bring to boil (adding the salt ahead reduces the boiling point water boils quicker, oh and put a lid on it really..)
• Add the pasta and boil for 10- 12 minutes (you an al dente fan? boil for about 9-10 mins, bite into the pasta and check)
• Drain it into colander and add a table spoon of olive oil and give it shimmy so that the pasta doesn't stick
• while the pasta is boiling, work on your vegetables, in a 2 quart saucepan heat about 3 tablespoons of olive oil (low smoking point alert keep an eye)
• add the red chili flakes and basil leaves and saute for a bout a 1 min
  
• add garlic and onions and a pinch of salt and make them sweat for about 5 mins till they are soft add the mushrooms and saute for bout 4 mins till the mushrooms shrink and are cooked soft
• Add tomatoes and a pinch of salt, Italian seasoning and cook for about 3 mins more, meanwhile microwave the broccoli for 1.5 mins and add it in.
• Continue cooking this for about 2 more mins, and add the marinara and alfredo sauce give it a stir, and add in the pasta heat for about another minute

Dust the grated Parmesan cheese on top and fork the creamy goodness into your mouth.