Anything Goes Pasta

This dish is the perfect solution for those days when you are not sure what to make, but you want to use whatever left over veggies you have in your fridge before they spoil. If you don't have one or more of the ingredients listed, no problem. Use what you have. If you have broccoli, add that. If you have, leeks, add that. If you have parsley or cilantro, add some of that too. Cooking has a lot to do with necessity and improvisation. Sometimes things don't come out exactly how you planned it, and that's okay, as long as you can move forward tapping into your creativity. For this dish in the picture I used cauliflower pasta, but you can use any kind of pasta you like. I recommend a short pasta with grooves or spirals, so the sauce can hang on to the pasta.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound of pasta, cooked al dente
1/4 of a yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 large or 5 thin asparagus stalks, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup of chopped artichoke hearts
1/2 of a red bell pepper, diced
1 cup of your favorite tomato sauce
2 teaspoon of dry oregano, 1/2 teaspoon if it's ground
1/4 teaspoon of ground coriander
1/2 lemon, juice only
1/4 cup of parmesan cheese, grated
Pure olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preparation:

1. To a large sauce pan, add some olive oil and heat.

2. Add the onions and sauté until translucent.

3. Add the garlic and sauté it for about another minute before adding the remaining veggies. Sauté the veggies until they have browned a bit.

4. Add the spices, the tomato sauce, the lemon juice and the cheese. At this point, make sure you taste the sauce to figure out how much salt you need to add, then season with salt & pepper.

5. Once you have achieved the perfect balance of flavors, add the cooked pasta and toss it around with the veggies, allowing each piece to be covered in the delicious sauce.

Serve hot, and top with grated cheese if you wish.