Pantry Pasta

Servings:

Author: Pamela

1 pound whole wheat or other pasta of your choice
Kosher salt
2 Tablespoons unrefined cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion chopped
3-4 garlic cloves thinly sliced
Vegetables in the fridge such as last night's lot:
2 carrots julienned or roughly chopped
a handful of mushrooms roughly chopped
1 1/2 zucchini roughly chopped
1 sweet bell pepper sliced
6 leaves of black kale stems removed and discarded, leaves coarsely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 jar or half a jar chopped tomatoes or whole tomatoes chopped
1 ½ cups cooked beans such as chickpeas or Great Northern
A couple tablespoons chopped fresh herbs such as basil, parsley, thyme, mint or a combination
Grated Pecorino-Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
In the meantime, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until tender and translucent. Stir in remaining prepared vegetables, except the leafy greens. Season with two pinches of sea salt and a few grinds of black pepper and sauté until just tender, about 5 minutes.
To the pot of boiling water, add kosher salt and pasta. Cook pasta according to package instructions.
Into the skillet pour in the chopped tomatoes and beans and simmer ten minutes. Sprinkle with another pinch of sea salt. Stir in chopped greens and fresh herbs and cook until wilted.
When pasta is cooked until al dente, remove two cups of pasta cooking water and reserve. Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet with the vegetables and toss. Add enough pasta water to coat the vegetables and the pasta. Taste for seasoning and serve with grated cheese if desired.

Other additions: chopped celery, cauliflower florets, peas, chopped Swiss chard, beet greens or baby spinach leaves instead of kale

Notes: You can also add a splash of white wine to the vegetables as you are sauteing.

Do ahead: chop your vegetables in the morning and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.