Garden bounty pasta
I also love this time of year because I'm not working all day. Case in point, as I'm sitting here typing this up, kid #2 who has just turned 4 is checking my heart with a toy stethoscope - that's what I love about this time of year. It means that I can eat a tidy, hot meal at lunch and stay with the lighter stuff later. I still eat light at night during the school year but the lunch time is more hit and miss. Hit and miss as to whether I'll eat lunch at all actually. I only work a 6 hour day at school and I always want to make the most of the time that I've got with the boys (who I teach). As a result, lunch might be a 10 minute affair. Definitely not long enough to take something hearty to heat up and sit and eat.
I start to get palpitations when I think about the business of fall - let's stick with the present.
Today was green bean day. I wanted to do something with the green beans that would be hearty but not just hearty, tasty too. Meaningful food. I thought of the green bean/mushroom soup/almond/casserole/side dish that my Mom used to make. I could do that. I just needed to make some cream of mushroom soup. I'm not keeping that kind of stuff in the pantry anymore. No problem, I had some chicken stock and some mushrooms and we got'er done. Turned out that it tasted way better than the canned stuff too. I also added pasta and some chard to the dish. It was really tasty.
From the garden it was the green/purple beans and my herbs. Cream, pasta, veggies, cheese on top - can't go wrong with that combo. Hot lunch here we come.
Green's n' Beans 'n Pasta in homemade Mushroom soup.
serves 6
1/2 a package of penne or rotini pasta (I used whole wheat)
4 cups of chicken or veg stock
3 cups of chopped mushrooms
1/2 onion diced small
3 - 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/2 cup fresh herbs (I used dill, parsley and chive)
1/4 cup of corn starch, made into a paste
1/2 cup cream (more if needed)
salt to taste
2 1/2 cups green beans, in big pieces
1 med. bunch of chard, diced small
1/3 cup parmesan
little cheese for sprinkling
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Get out a large baking dish (I used a rectangular 9X13). In a large pot of boiling, salted water add the pasta and cook to the package specifications.
In a large, heated dutch oven add some oil (I used some of the fat skimmed off my chicken stock) and saute the onion and mushrooms. Give them about 5 min. and then add in the garlic. Dice the fresh herbs and add them after a few minutes. Add in the stock and let it come to a simmer for a few minutes with all the veggies. Add in the cornstarch paste and mix well (You might want to add in the cornstarch in small batches. That way it won't get too thick - cornstarch can get thick fast and if you're not careful you could have glue on your hands). Turn down the heat to low and add in the Cream. Check the taste and add salt if needed. I threw in just a dash of nutmeg and cayenne as well.
After the pasta finished, I threw the beans and chard into the hot pot with a little butter and sauteed it down a little. Adds another dimension to the flavour and ensures that the veggies are cooked through. Add the veggies and pasta to the baking dish and mix together until well incorporated. Pour the soup mixture over the top and mix well. Sprinkle with some cheese and parmesan (I poured just a little more cream over the top too). Bake for 20 min. or until just browned and bubbly (don't want it to bake for too long).
Let it rest for a few minutes when it comes out of the oven.
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About Me
- Wanda Thorne
- St Michael's Choir School is celebrating it's 75th anniversary year of service to St Michael's Cathedral. Part of the school celebration is a trip to Italy where our boys from Grades 5 - 12 will be performing and celebrating Mass. This blog will be chronicling our adventures. Wanda Thorne is the Vocal Coach at St Michael's Choir School. Gerard Lewis is the Grade 7/8 Homeroom teacher at the Choir School.
About Me
- Wanda Thorne
- St Michael's Choir School is celebrating it's 75th anniversary year of service to St Michael's Cathedral. Part of the school celebration is a trip to Italy where our boys from Grades 5 - 12 will be performing and celebrating Mass. This blog will be chronicling our adventures. Wanda Thorne is the Vocal Coach at St Michael's Choir School. Gerard Lewis is the Grade 7/8 Homeroom teacher at the Choir School.
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