Recipe: Waste-free Wednesday Pantry Pasta

Wednesday is a great day to go through the fridge to see what's lurking in the bottom draw, past its prime. By using up veggies that are starting to wilt you not only save the veggies themselves but also the resources that went into growing and producing them (water, land, transportation).

When supplies are running low, it’s a great time to cook Megan’s Pantry Pasta which makes use of whatever pasta and vegetables you may have on hand. It tastes great with croutons or bread crumbs that also makes great use of older bread. We love this (more than) triple tested, tried and true recipe. Let us know if you give it a go, we’d love to hear from you, and you can head to our website for more awesome waste-free recipes.

Time: less than 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Core

– 1 (or more) cloves of garlic, crushed (measure amount of garlic with heart)

–1 chilli, de-seeded and chopped finely OR half teaspoon of chilli flakes (to taste)

– 1 TBSP olive oil

– 1 lemon, zest and juice (adjust to personal taste)

– 2 cups of chopped veggies (this could be spinach, Swiss chard, peeled eggplant, fennel, or other any other veggies you have on hand)

– Handful of herbs such as parsley, basil or oregano

– Parmesan cheese or plant-based alternative, to taste

– Pasta of your choice (it goes well with spaghetti, fettucine or linguini, but any pasta works) – cook enough for 2 serves of pasta, as listed on the label

Optional

– Breadcrumbs or croutons made from day old bread

– Fetta cheese, crumbled

– Olives

Method:

1. Add olive oil to a large saucepan and sauté the garlic and chilli for a few minutes until fragrant and the garlic looks golden.

2. Add the lemon zest and juice along with the vegetables and herbs and cook until the vegetables are soft/wilted.

3. While the vegetables are cooking, heat a large saucepan of salted water to boiling point and cook the pasta as per directions on packet.

4. When the pasta is al dente, drain, but reserve approximately 1 cup of the pasta water.

5. Add the pasta to the vegetable mixture along with the pasta water, and cook until the liquid reduces to a sauce of your preferred consistency.

6. Stir in the parmesan cheese along with fetta cheese and olives (if using).

7. Once all ingredients are heated through, serve on warm plates.

8. Garnish with breadcrumbs, croutons and/or a sprinkling of herbs.