Pasta - Easy Combo Ideas

avocado, corn, and love all that parsley!...

Start with gluten free pasta of choice.  Then add in your favorites to come up with a tasty combination.  It's easy to put together combos that can be served as a cold salad OR a baked main dish.

Sauce - come up with a combo.  Here are some ideas.

• Dressing - Italian, Ranch 
• 3–4 tbsp olive oil     
• vegan mayo
• sweet relish! - Publix deli style
• mustard
• pesto
• vinegar , lemon, or lime juice

Veggies

• cherry tomatoes
• bell pepper
• broccoli
• onions (red is good) & garlic
• squash and zucchini
• celery
• carrots
• mushrooms
• corn
• cucumber
• avocado - to eat right away

Greens

• Fresh Herbs - basil, parsley, cilantro, dill
• kale
• spinach
• lettuce

Misc

• fruit - pineapple, citrus, berries
• black beans

Xtra Flavor & do-dads

• lemon zest to taste
• red chili flakes
• Italian Seasoning
• McCormick Salad Supreme
• Seeds - sesame, celery seed, hemp seed

Not Vegan

• Parmesan or other cheese
• bacon
• chicken
• shrimp

avocado, looks like a bit of bacon as well...

corn, avocado, red onions...

SWEET AND SPICY LO MEIN WITH TOASTED SESAME MUSHROOMS AND BROCCOLI
By @leeksnbeets on Instagram

Pesto Pasta Salad
by @janetsmunchmeals on Instagram 

Pasta - Spaghetti - BAKED!

I'm not sure why, but I like baked spaghetti better than spaghetti cooked totally stovetop.  Do the flavors set in more?  I don't know.  But it's good.  Also, it's less messy to eat.

Recipe Inspiration Sources:  

Rabbit and Wolves (vegan)

Build Your Bite (a vegetarian version)

Note:  Most of the recipes I found use real cheese or a cheese substitute, tofu, meat substitutes, and very few vegetables other than mushrooms.  I have skipped meat and used cut up veggies in my spaghetti for ages, even before I was full-on vegan.  Some people might prefer a recipe that is more similar to the traditional version.  If so, the sources above will have better options than my version.  I was unable to find a source with a recipe more like my preferences, so I used bits and pieces from tons of recipes and created a recipe of my own.

The one pictured here is not a vegan recipe, 

but I love seeing it in an iron skillet.  

Cook spaghetti noodles according to package directions, drain and set aside

• spaghetti noodles

You can use regular noodles, grain-free noodles or even spaghetti squash!

Sauté Veggies (any combo) -

NOTE - If you use a large oven-proof skillet, you can use it for the baking step as well!  It's pretty in an iron skillet.

• onion
• garlic
• mushrooms
• peppers
• squash
• zucchini
• carrots

Add pasta sauce to veggie mixture and stir to combine.  

Cheese   Most recipes call for adding lots of cheese.  You can keep the recipe a bit cleaner by not adding any. It's still very good.   If you are Vegetarian, you probably don't worry about cheese, but do you really need that mess?  If you do, you can cheat a little by mixing in just a bit of parmesan, but cheese is addictive and the only way to break the habit is to stop eating it altogether. You could use a Vegan cheese substitute.  I haven't yet tried it with any of those, but Rabbit and Wolves uses:

• ¼  cup nutritional yeast 
• 1 cup of Follow Your Heart vegan mozzarella.  

Violife brand cheeses are a new one on the market and are getting great reviews.  Kroger carries those. 

Toppings

• parsley
• basil

If making it for company...  Put in a 9 X 13 baking dish.

If it's just a normal home dinner...  keep it in the oven-proof skillet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.  Oven temps varied for different recipes.  Some were as low as 350, some as high as 450.  It doesn't matter that much, especially if you aren't using cheese or tofu.

Pasta - Creamy Vegan Garlic Mushroom Pasta

Recipe Inspiration Source:  Amy Le Creations

JC declared this to be really good.  He also told me not to tell him what was in it.  He felt sure that I would tell him some crazy ingredients that would shock him and then he wouldn't be able to enjoy it.  He preferred to pretend it was made with butter and cheese and cream or something like that.  OMG.

Note: These are not the best type of noodles to use.
Fettucini would be better.

I have a love hate relationship with pasta.  I don't think it's a health promoter.  It's vegan, but it's certainly not a whole food.  It's pretty much empty calories.  I tried the pasta made from lentils.  I tried the gluten free.  Those are not awful, but they certainly aren't as good as the wheat versions.  This is a compromise food.  It's a filling starch.  It's another tool in the kit for variety.  It's yummy and can round out a meal with mostly vegetables.  JC loves it and since he's, against all odds, staying on the Vegan bandwagon, I am keeping it in our rotation.  With recipes like this one, it's not hard to rationalize.  It's pretty tasty.

INGREDIENTS
Note: When cooking for two, reduce the amounts of these ingredients!!!


SAUCE - Oh yeah baby!  This sauce is a keeper!

• 2 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil 
• 1 small onion, diced roughly (1/2 cup)
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 cups unsweetened nut milk
• 1 1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 garlic gloves, or to taste  
• salt + pepper to taste

OTHER

• fettuccini pasta
• mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

TIP: A food processor can be used for several key steps.  There's no need to mess up a blender.  The processor can dice onions and mushrooms.  Then it can be used to blend the sauce.  

1. Cook pasta, but leave the pasta just slightly undercooked. Drain and set aside.
   
2. Add 2 tsp of olive oil into a large frying pan over medium to high heat. When hot, add onion and cook for 4 minutes or until soft.
   
3. Mix in cornstarch and cook for a further minute.
   
4. Add 1/2 of the nut milk, making sure that the mixture is smooth besides the onion.
   
5. Add the remaining milk along with nutritional yeast and salt. Again, let it thicken a bit.
   
6. Put the warm mixture in the food processor.  Add the garlic and blend until smooth. Taste and add more garlic if needed. Set aside.
   
7. Rinse and dry the frying pan. Heat up the remaining 1/2 tsp of oil (you could also use splash of water instead) and add the mushrooms. You will notice the liquid coming from the mushrooms, keep cooking until they’re soft and there’s about 1/4 cup of liquid left.
   
8. Add the sauce to the pan, making sure the heat is low to medium to prevent it from sticking.
   
9. When the sauce is heated through, add in the pasta, parsley, remaining 1/2 tsp salt and pepper to taste. When the pasta is heated through, it’s ready to serve.

Pasta - Pas See Ew (Spicy Noodles)

Inspiration Source:  AlexaFueledNaturally on Instagram

PASTA:
Begin cooking noodles.

• 1 box noodles (I love lentil noodles! Bonus: they are very high protein)

Note:  Let the noodles cook til done.  If they are too al dente, the dish will come out dry.

VEGETABLES:

Sauté garlic and onion 4 minutes.

• 1 onion, thinly sliced 
• 3 cloves garlic

Add the rest of the veggies. Sauté for 5-7 minutes.

• 8 ounces broccolini, chopped 
• 1 bell pepper, thinly sliced - red would be good
• more options:  edamame, sugar snap peas, grated or thinly sliced carrots

When noodles are done, stir them in with the veggies.


SAUCE:  

This is an easy sauce to make and is quite tasty! It could be used with other dishes.
Combine soy sauce and sriracha in a measuring cup  and pour over the noodles. Fold gently to combine, for the sauce to coat the noodles evenly and to caramelize. Letting cook for 4-5 minutes.

5 tbsp soy sauce, tamari, or coconut aminos
1 1/2 tbsp sriracha
1-2 tsp chili pepper flakes (depending of preference of heat!)

*****  Maybe make more of this so the dish doesn't come out too dry!

Pasta - Bruschetta

Salad and Bruschetta

• Bruschetta Seasoning Mix - basil, oregano, red pepper, tomato, garlic, onion, sea salt 
• 1/3 cup veggie broth 
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 
• 2 pounds (about 10) plum tomatoes, quartered - Truly need lots of these! 
• 8 ounces pasta, cooked 

Misc VEGGIES to add:

• Squash and zucchini 
• mushrooms 
• onions 
• garlic 
• bell pepper 
• handful of spinach 

MORE POSSIBILITIES:

• eggplant 
• asparagus 
• parsley 

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
   
2. Saute garlic, onions and bell pepper in a skillet that goes from stovetop to oven (no plastic handles). Avoid oil - sauté in water or broth.
   
3. Mix seasoning, broth and vinegar in large bowl. Add tomatoes and misc other veggies to the sautéed veggies; toss to coat.
   
4. Bake 30 minutes.
   
5. Toss all with pasta in large bowl. 

NOTE:
I used to do the whole thing stovetop, but not anymore! When baked in the oven, the tomatoes were much better and they didn't get lost like they seem to do when only working stovetop. Everything seemed to have more flavor.

Another option - serve on bread instead of using noodles