{Recipe} Mushroom and Zucchini Penne with Roasted Tomato Cream Sauce + a giveaway!

I received a sampler of Daregal Gourmet fresh frozen herbs to review as a part of a Blog Friendly PR campaign. All opinions are my own and no compensation was received.

I've gotten to the point that I can't seem to follow recipes exactly anymore. In fact, I've started playing around with combinations and flavors to create fun new dishes for my family. It keeps dinner interesting!

This is one of our new meals. I've made it a couple of times, and love the way the flavors play together, along with the fact that my kiddos eat it! I've also just discovered Daregal Fresh Frozen Herbs. I love, love, love working fresh herbs into my dishes because it adds so much flavor, but hardly any calories. It's takes dinner to the next level. Unfortunately, I have a hard time rationalizing the cost of fresh herbs as they are pricey and I can't use them before they go bad. When Daregal asked me to try their fresh herbs that are flash frozen in a bottle that lets you shake out exactly the amount needed, I thought it was a great way to keep from wasting money, but still turn delicious dishes out of my kitchen. Sure enough! It streamlined dinner prep and the extra herbs are sitting in my freezer with no rush to use them before they turn. Brilliant!

Want to see how I use them in our Mushroom and Zucchini Penne with Roasted Tomato Cream Sauce? I thought you'd never ask!

Lemon Peel, Basil, Mint, Dill, and Parsley

Don't let the ingredient list overwhelm you. It's pretty easy to put together and the pay off is SO tasty!

Rinse your cherry tomatoes and zucchini. Slice the zucchini and toss the veggies with a little drizzle of olive oil. Pop in the oven on broil for about 10 minutes, or until the cherry tomatoes start to brown.

Meanwhile, add a drizzle of olive oil to your pot. When it's hot, add your chopped onion and minced garlic. Cook over medium for 3-4 minutes or until the onions start to soften.

Add the chopped mushrooms to the pot, and continue to cook over medium for another 5 minutes.

Add both cans of tomatoes.

And the parsley, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir everything together, turn the heat to low, and let it simmer for at least 20 minutes. The longer the better!

As soon as your veggies are roasted, add those to the pot of sauce. You want it to simmer together with everything else.

At the very end of your simmering, boil the penne until al dente. When you drain it, make sure you reserve about a cup of pasta water in case you need it later on.

While the pasta is boiling, turn off your brain for this next step. Don't think. Just pour. Calories don't exist in this space. Seriously, if you want the rest of the recipe, you have to play by my rules. Ready? When your sauce is done simmering, add the heavy whipping cream. Trust me on this one. It makes it soooo good!

Stir the whipping cream in and you'll watch your sauce turn almost orange with a delicious, thick consistency. If it is too thick, you can certainly add up to one cup of reserved pasta water to thin it out slightly.

This recipe makes a big batch of sauce. I get enough for two meals from it. Ladle the sauce into the pot with the pasta, and toss to coat. Freeze the rest of the sauce for a quick dinner another night. Between the roasted veggies and the fresh frozen herbs that make the sauce quick and easy to throw together, this meal is a new favorite at our house! Interested in trying the herbs I used in this recipe? You can pick them up on Amazon or in the Northeast at Stop n Shop, Giant Landover, and Shaws!

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and serve with fresh garlic bread made with the same fresh frozen herbs. Perfection!

Mushroom and Zucchini Penne with Roasted Tomato Cream Sauce

Serves 6-8

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 Onion, Chopped
• 8oz Mushrooms, Chopped
• 4 Cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 can (28oz) Crushed Tomatoes
• 1 can (28oz) Tomato Sauce
• 1 Large or 2 Small Zucchini, Sliced
• 2 Pints Cherry Tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon Daregal Fresh Frozen Basil
• 1 teaspoon Daregal Fresh Frozen Parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon Dried Oregano
• Salt to Taste
• Pepper to Taste
• 1 cup Whipping Cream
• Parmesan Cheese for Garnish

1. Broil sliced zucchini and cherry tomatoes in the oven for 10 minutes or until they start to brown.
2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a pot. Add onions and garlic. Cook over medium for 3-4 minutes.
3. Add mushrooms to pot. Continue to cook over medium for 5 minutes.
4. Add crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce, basil, parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir through and simmer over low for at least 20 minutes (longer is better!)
5. Add the broiled veggies as soon as they come out of the over to the simmering sauce.
6. Add whipping cream, stir through.
7. Ladle hot cream sauce over fresh pasta. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and serve with garlic bread.

Oh, by the way, you not only get a recipe in the post, you also get a chance to win your own Daregal Gourmet Herb Sampler!

~Giveaway!~

All you have to do is enter below for your chance to win! The first two tasks are not optional and must be completed to qualify for this giveaway. The additional entry tasks are optional. Winning entries will be validated prior to announcing the winner with an alternate drawn if the entries cannot be verified.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
The contest ends at 11:59pm on Tuesday, October 1st. The winner(s) will be randomly chosen and contacted by email on Wednesday, October 2nd. The winner(s) will have 48 hours to respond to the email with their information so that the prize can be forwarded to them. A Beautiful Ruckus is not responsible for the delivery of the prize and is not responsible if the sponsor does not deliver. This giveaway is open to residents of the United States. A Beautiful Ruckus received a complimentary Daregal Gourmet Herb Sampler in exchange for hosting this giveaway. No other compensation was provided. This post may contain affiliate links. For more info, please see my disclaimer page.

I received a sampler of Daregal Gourmet fresh frozen herbs to review as a part of a Blog Friendly PR campaign. All opinions are my own and no compensation was received.

I've gotten to the point that I can't seem to follow recipes exactly anymore. In fact, I've started playing around with combinations and flavors to create fun new dishes for my family. It keeps dinner interesting!

This is one of our new meals. I've made it a couple of times, and love the way the flavors play together, along with the fact that my kiddos eat it! I've also just discovered Daregal Fresh Frozen Herbs. I love, love, love working fresh herbs into my dishes because it adds so much flavor, but hardly any calories. It's takes dinner to the next level. Unfortunately, I have a hard time rationalizing the cost of fresh herbs as they are pricey and I can't use them before they go bad. When Daregal asked me to try their fresh herbs that are flash frozen in a bottle that lets you shake out exactly the amount needed, I thought it was a great way to keep from wasting money, but still turn delicious dishes out of my kitchen. Sure enough! It streamlined dinner prep and the extra herbs are sitting in my freezer with no rush to use them before they turn. Brilliant!

Want to see how I use them in our Mushroom and Zucchini Penne with Roasted Tomato Cream Sauce? I thought you'd never ask!

Lemon Peel, Basil, Mint, Dill, and Parsley

Don't let the ingredient list overwhelm you. It's pretty easy to put together and the pay off is SO tasty!

Rinse your cherry tomatoes and zucchini. Slice the zucchini and toss the veggies with a little drizzle of olive oil. Pop in the oven on broil for about 10 minutes, or until the cherry tomatoes start to brown.

Meanwhile, add a drizzle of olive oil to your pot. When it's hot, add your chopped onion and minced garlic. Cook over medium for 3-4 minutes or until the onions start to soften.

Add the chopped mushrooms to the pot, and continue to cook over medium for another 5 minutes.

Add both cans of tomatoes.

And the parsley, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir everything together, turn the heat to low, and let it simmer for at least 20 minutes. The longer the better!

As soon as your veggies are roasted, add those to the pot of sauce. You want it to simmer together with everything else.

At the very end of your simmering, boil the penne until al dente. When you drain it, make sure you reserve about a cup of pasta water in case you need it later on.

While the pasta is boiling, turn off your brain for this next step. Don't think. Just pour. Calories don't exist in this space. Seriously, if you want the rest of the recipe, you have to play by my rules. Ready? When your sauce is done simmering, add the heavy whipping cream. Trust me on this one. It makes it soooo good!

Stir the whipping cream in and you'll watch your sauce turn almost orange with a delicious, thick consistency. If it is too thick, you can certainly add up to one cup of reserved pasta water to thin it out slightly.

This recipe makes a big batch of sauce. I get enough for two meals from it. Ladle the sauce into the pot with the pasta, and toss to coat. Freeze the rest of the sauce for a quick dinner another night. Between the roasted veggies and the fresh frozen herbs that make the sauce quick and easy to throw together, this meal is a new favorite at our house! Interested in trying the herbs I used in this recipe? You can pick them up on Amazon or in the Northeast at Stop n Shop, Giant Landover, and Shaws!

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and serve with fresh garlic bread made with the same fresh frozen herbs. Perfection!

Mushroom and Zucchini Penne with Roasted Tomato Cream Sauce

Serves 6-8

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 Onion, Chopped
• 8oz Mushrooms, Chopped
• 4 Cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 can (28oz) Crushed Tomatoes
• 1 can (28oz) Tomato Sauce
• 1 Large or 2 Small Zucchini, Sliced
• 2 Pints Cherry Tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon Daregal Fresh Frozen Basil
• 1 teaspoon Daregal Fresh Frozen Parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon Dried Oregano
• Salt to Taste
• Pepper to Taste
• 1 cup Whipping Cream
• Parmesan Cheese for Garnish

1. Broil sliced zucchini and cherry tomatoes in the oven for 10 minutes or until they start to brown.
2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a pot. Add onions and garlic. Cook over medium for 3-4 minutes.
3. Add mushrooms to pot. Continue to cook over medium for 5 minutes.
4. Add crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce, basil, parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir through and simmer over low for at least 20 minutes (longer is better!)
5. Add the broiled veggies as soon as they come out of the over to the simmering sauce.
6. Add whipping cream, stir through.
7. Ladle hot cream sauce over fresh pasta. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and serve with garlic bread.

Oh, by the way, you not only get a recipe in the post, you also get a chance to win your own Daregal Gourmet Herb Sampler!

~Giveaway!~

All you have to do is enter below for your chance to win! The first two tasks are not optional and must be completed to qualify for this giveaway. The additional entry tasks are optional. Winning entries will be validated prior to announcing the winner with an alternate drawn if the entries cannot be verified.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
The contest ends at 11:59pm on Tuesday, October 1st. The winner(s) will be randomly chosen and contacted by email on Wednesday, October 2nd. The winner(s) will have 48 hours to respond to the email with their information so that the prize can be forwarded to them. A Beautiful Ruckus is not responsible for the delivery of the prize and is not responsible if the sponsor does not deliver. This giveaway is open to residents of the United States. A Beautiful Ruckus received a complimentary Daregal Gourmet Herb Sampler in exchange for hosting this giveaway. No other compensation was provided. This post may contain affiliate links. For more info, please see my disclaimer page.