pasta with vegetables
This pasta recipe should be dedicated to my friend Marcelina because it reminds me of her. Basically the whole pasta dish is made with what you can find in the fridge – the one I’m posting is with spinach, mushrooms , tomatoes and courgettes because these are vegetables I always have in my fridge, but sometimes I use variations – mushrooms, broccoli and tomatoes or mushrooms, peppers and tomatoes.
My variations though are in a totally different category than Marcelina’s. She used to add things to her pasta which she found in a cupboard or fridge, but they were totally random, not going together at all. Something like sweetcorn, gurkens and walnuts for example. Her style of cooking was really adventurous and totally bonkers. Such an inspiration she was.
So here it is – pasta inspired by Marcelina.
Pasta with any veg you can find in your fridge
Ingredients
gnocchetti pasta (you can use farfalle, pennne or whatever you have in the cupboard)
tin of chopped tomatoes
1 courgette
spinach
mushrooms (a cup or 2 handfuls)
olive oil
fresh basil
1-2 cloves of garlic
salt and freshly ground pepper
parmesan (I use vegetarian one)
1. Chop mushrooms. Warm olive oil in a pan, add crushed garlic, fry for a minute, add mushrooms.
2. When the mushrooms are fried, add cubed courgette and chopped tomatoes. Cook for a few minutes, add salt and pepper.
3. When the courgette softens, add spinach gradually, stir.
4. In the meantime cook pasta.
5. When vegetables are cooked but not overcooked, add basil, drain your pasta, mix with your sauce.
6. Serve on a pre-warmed plate with grated parmesan on top and red wine, preferably Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.
