With 2 hungry kids, one hungry husband and not enough time in the day, I am a sucker for one dish wonders. If I can get all of the parts of my balanced meal into one pot, one pan and one easily served dinner than I am one happy mama.

I threw this together last night at the last minute…when I discovered that we wouldn’t be going out for dinner after all and it was a big hit. You could totally change up the veggies depending on season, what you have in the house or on the particularly pickiness/allergies of the members of your family.

Rainbow Penne

I box whole wheat or multi-grain Penne

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 medium (or 1 small) yellow onion, chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

4 plum tomatoes, roughly chopped

1 medium zuchinni, cut into half-moons

1 bunch asparagus, tough ends removed and the rest cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 cup vegetable broth

~1 Tbsp each dried basil and oregano

Freshly ground pepper

Grated Parmesean

1. Cook and drain pasta according to package directions, reserving about 1/2 cup of pasta water.

2. In a large skillet or wok, heat oil. Add onion and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until onion starts to become translucent.

3. Add asparagus, zucchini and tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until tomatoes are beginning to break down and other vegetables are fork tender.

4. Season to taste with oregano, basil and pepper.

5. Add broth and simmer for a couple of minutes until sauce begins to come together. Add pasta water, a splash at a time until your sauce reaches your desired consistency.

6. Add pasta to pan and mix well.

7. Toss with about 1/4 cup of freshly grated Parmesan (or that nasty stuff in the can if your family prefers 😉

8. Serve with additional parmesan on the side.

Note: For babies just starting to eat table food, you could easily mash these vegetables–either together or separately. For toddlers, cut noodles and veggies into smaller pieces.