As you may have discerned by now, I’m a carb-lover. It helps that I’m a runner and triathlete, so sometimes carb-loading is actually called for by my training regimen, but regardless, I adore carbs in all their forms – rice, bread, pasta. The subject of pasta comes up quite a lot within these pages, I recognize, and I was thrilled with tonight’s recipe revelation as a result.
You know, one of the few things I don’t care for in pasta recipes is that you always – always! – have to make two pots’ worth of food. One pot is devoted to the cooking of the pasta; one is devoted to the cooking of everything else. This means that at the end of the meal, there are at least two pots to clean up, on top of the plates, silverware, and all the accouterments. Surely there’s an easier way.
On Pinterest the other day – do any of y’all look at Pinterest, too? It’s great, right? – I came across a recipe for vegan one-pot pasta, and I knew I had to try it right away. Everything cooks in one pot? There are fresh veggies teeming out every which way? The sauce thickens as the pasta boils? Sign me UP.
And so tonight I cut a leek, submerged the slices in water twice to get rid of the sand, then diced a zucchini, and added them to my beloved Le Creuset. Then I added everything else the recipe calls for – save for the garlic scape, since it’s not that time of year here – and added a carton of cherry tomatoes, and simmered the pasta on medium-low for about 10 minutes. Truth be told, I simmered it all a little longer than that – about 12 minutes – because LeeLee has strep throat (get well soon, darlin’!) and I didn’t want to push his luck with al dente pasta.
The final result was a wonderfully flavorful pasta with an amazingly thick sauce (I confess I was not a total believer in the sauce until the cooking time had elapsed – I felt sure it would be too thin!). Topped with some nutritional yeast, vegan parm, and extra pepper, it was an incredibly filling, tasty meal! And we firmly believe it is restoring LeeLee to good health even as I type this. With so many great veggies, how can it not?
As an aside, there’s plenty for leftovers tomorrow, as well. Here’s to good health!
:)