Pata Primavera
Feb. 5th, 2008 06:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
afufleI posted this at ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
cheapvegan, thought I'd put in in my own journal too. It's cheap, I like it and beans and spaghetti are a complete protein.
"Quickie" Pasta Primavera with Lentils
Lentils
Frozen mixed vegetables
Whole Wheat pasta (or regular if I can't find a sale)
Tomato paste, a few tablespoons
Italian Herb mix (rosemary, basil, marjoram, oregano, etc.)
I cook the lentils till almost done, and keep a bowl in the refrigerator or separate into portions and freeze.
I put water in a pan and throw in enough mixed veggies as I want in my one portion of pasta, stir and bring to a boil, let them cook a minute or two. I like my veggies not too well done. Then the pasta goes in the boiling water, and I cook the pasta to al dente doneness.
While I'm doing that, I put several tablespoons of tomato paste and the herbs in a bowl, and add some of the hot water from the pasta pan, and whip it into a sauce with a fork. I may or may not add a teaspoon of sugar. Most recipes for tomato sauce call for the sugar, but I like to skip it if possible. You could also just use sauce from a jar.
If the beans are not just cooked, I put them in a bowl and microwave.
Drain the pasta and veggies, add to the sauce in the bowl. Eat. Say "yum".
________________________
Notes: I watch the ads for CVS and Walgreens for herbs in jars, often they'll have quite a bit for .50ยข or even less. I also watch for cans of tomato paste or sauce. If I make this, I keep the 8-oz can of tomato paste and a bowl of lentils in the refrigerator, and eat it several times that week, at least till the tomato paste is used up. I manage never to have any leftover lentils, will cook a half pound of them at a time, sometimes eating them with squash or a bread item.
I sometimes also add a tiny bit of olive oil or even canola or soybean oil if that's all I have, it improves the flavor. Sometimes I skip the tomato part all together and use the leftover seasoning from packets of ramen noodles.
cheapvegan, thought I'd put in in my own journal too. It's cheap, I like it and beans and spaghetti are a complete protein. "Quickie" Pasta Primavera with Lentils
Lentils
Frozen mixed vegetables
Whole Wheat pasta (or regular if I can't find a sale)
Tomato paste, a few tablespoons
Italian Herb mix (rosemary, basil, marjoram, oregano, etc.)
I cook the lentils till almost done, and keep a bowl in the refrigerator or separate into portions and freeze.
I put water in a pan and throw in enough mixed veggies as I want in my one portion of pasta, stir and bring to a boil, let them cook a minute or two. I like my veggies not too well done. Then the pasta goes in the boiling water, and I cook the pasta to al dente doneness.
While I'm doing that, I put several tablespoons of tomato paste and the herbs in a bowl, and add some of the hot water from the pasta pan, and whip it into a sauce with a fork. I may or may not add a teaspoon of sugar. Most recipes for tomato sauce call for the sugar, but I like to skip it if possible. You could also just use sauce from a jar.
If the beans are not just cooked, I put them in a bowl and microwave.
Drain the pasta and veggies, add to the sauce in the bowl. Eat. Say "yum".
________________________
Notes: I watch the ads for CVS and Walgreens for herbs in jars, often they'll have quite a bit for .50ยข or even less. I also watch for cans of tomato paste or sauce. If I make this, I keep the 8-oz can of tomato paste and a bowl of lentils in the refrigerator, and eat it several times that week, at least till the tomato paste is used up. I manage never to have any leftover lentils, will cook a half pound of them at a time, sometimes eating them with squash or a bread item.
I sometimes also add a tiny bit of olive oil or even canola or soybean oil if that's all I have, it improves the flavor. Sometimes I skip the tomato part all together and use the leftover seasoning from packets of ramen noodles.
