Herb Garden Hodgepodge: Pasta Primavera!

School's out for summer forever! I'm officially a college graduate (who let that happen?), and since I have no idea what to do with my life while I jobhunt, I'll cook. Every summer I wish I had a vegetable garden, but I've missed the Florida planting season for most fruits and veggies I love by the time May rolls around and I'm back at home.

However, herb gardens are still fun. My basil and parsley plants have been doing surprisingly well considering how often I forget to water them (terrible plant mother). I added an oregano plant to my garden on Monday, and decided to make a little pasta primavera and throw in a little bit of everything from my herb garden!

It was surprisingly easy, and went great with pork chops. Just a yellow pepper, tomatoes, herbs and  linguine made for a deliciously light summer meal.

Ingredient list:

• 2 tbsps olive oil
• 1/4-1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth (I used less than 1/2 cup but you could use more for a thinner sauce)
• 5-6 grape tomatoes, quartered
• 1/2 large yellow bell pepper, roughly chopped
• Fresh parsley, oregano, and basil (to taste, I used around 2 tsp of each at first, a little more for garnish), roughly chopped
• Garlic powder (optional, to taste)
• 1/2 9 oz package of Buitoni fresh linguine, or any pasta you prefer

Cook pasta as per instructions, then set aside for later. I like Buitoni's fresh pasta because it only takes about 4 minutes to cook.

In a large sauce pan, saute the pepper in olive oil at medium heat, and add tomatoes once the pepper begins to soften. Add broth and garlic powder and allow sauce to simmer until it reaches the consistency you desire. Turn off heat and add pasta, coating it in the sauce. Plate the pasta on a large platter and toss in most of the herbs, leaving some to sprinkle on top as a garnish. It was pretty fantastic, honestly.

For this go around, I went a little light on the oregano because I was afraid it would overpower the basil and parsley. I think I'd throw in a little more next time around. Honestly, this dish is all over the place and all about personal preference, so you don't have to stick to the measurements listed. You could even add some other veggies you have lying around if you prefer. Happy experimenting!