Rigatoni with broccoli and bok choy

I was harvesting my garden fresh bok choy today, on a day when I wanted to make a veggie pasta dish. It tastes good, so I'll share the recipe. Bok choy adds bulk and good nutrition to the dish, but is a mildly flavored veggie, so it will appeal to new leafy green eaters, who would turn up their noses at more bitter greens.

2024 Update! I got both broccolini and Bok Choy in my crop share from Von Thun's Farm CSA this week, so I gave this recipe a new try.  I cut both the pasta and heavy cream in half, and eliminated adding hot pasta water. I think it would have been too juicy!  Try it and let me know what you think.

Rigatoni with Broccoli and Bok Choy

2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 red onion, chopped
1 pound bag of chopped broccoli, cooked in microwave
1 bunch bok choy (I used two) chopped, stems and leaves
1 pound of rigatoni or your choice of macaroni. I used the big ones.
4 T butter
1 T vegeta seasoning
1 t Italian seasoning
1t oregano
Salt and Black pepper to taste
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Melt butter in large Dutch oven sized pot, and sauté garlic and onion. Add broccoli and bok choy, season and cook while your pasta boils. Salt the cooking water. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water and drain when al dente. Add cream and pasta to pot. Add additional cooking water as needed to make it saucy. Add cheese and play with your food. I mean eat it!

Vegeta!  If you read my recipes, you might wonder what Vegeta seasoning is. I first learned about it from my Aunt Helen's Slovakian caregiver, Melanie. Vegeta is a combination of dehydrated vegetables, ground into a rough powder, that adds a boullion like flavor, like you cooked lots of veggies into a rich broth, and then added that to your dish. You can buy it with msg (mono sodium glutimate) or without. 

I buy mine at the local vegetable market, where you find international seasonings.