This is a variation on the pasta with sauteed vegetables. Lenny wanted pasta again (he loves that Brown Rice deliciousness), but I wanted to make something different this time, since I only had limited fresh vegetable from the other day. I usually buy a frozen Seafood Blend from Trader Joe’s, which consists of shrimp, scallops, and calamari. It’s perfect for a quick seafood fix. I incorporated it with the vegetable base and then coated the cooked pasta. It came out really good, even better than last time!

What you’ll need

Seafood:
1 16oz Frozen Seafood Blend – defrosted and ready to go
1 Clove of Garlic – chopped
1 Tbs Dried Basil
Salt/Pepper to taste
1Tbs Canola Oil

Pasta:
12oz Organic Brown Rice Pasta
Salt to taste

Vegetable Sauce:
16oz Organic Grape Tomatoes – halved
3 Cloves of Garlic – chopped
1 Small Sweet Onion – thinly sliced
1/2 Organic Sweet Bell Pepper – sliced(I had the orange pepper left from the other day so I just used that)
1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes (optional) We like it a little spicy
1 Tbs Canola Oil

Directions

Cook the pasta according to the box and the desired consistency. While it’s cooking, preheat your large stainless steel with Canola Oil on Medium High heat. Saute the Garlic until it begins to brown, stirring often to prevent burning. Add the Onions and Bell Pepper, stir, lower the heat to Medium and cover until the Onions and Peppers are soft (about 3 minutes). Salt and Pepper to taste, add the Red Pepper Flakes, Tomatoes, stir, and cover again for about 5 minutes. You want the tomatoes to break down and release all of its juice. During those 5 minutes, you will cook the Seafood. It takes a very short time, so you can put it off until the tomatoes have gone in.

To cook the Seafood, preheat a smaller skillet to Medium High heat with Canola oil. Add Garlic and saute until it begins to brown. Remember to stir! Add the Seafood and cover for about 1 minute, but no more. Add Salt/Pepper to taste and basil. Stir until it’s cooked. The scallops will turn opaque and the shrimp pink. Again, it’s a fast process.

Add the seafood to the pasta sauce, stir to combine, and then add the pasta that has been cooked and drained. Done! The entire process lasts the duration of the cooking pasta and no longer. Top with a little more basil and fresh cracked black pepper and serve.