Name: Snack Dust Veggie Pasta
Ingredients: Garlic. At least four regular size cloves, chopped or slivered — whatever your preference.; Pasta. I prefer whole wheat for its earthier flavor, but any pasta will do.; Kale and/or other veggies. Use what you have! I really like this dish with finely chopped kale. You’ll want at least one bunch. But any veggies you have on hand will probably be great. Spinach? Red pepper? Broccoli? Peas? Carrots? All will be at home.; Cream. Or half and half. About a cup is great.; Broth. A cup or less. If you don’t have any, that’s OK. Scrappy, unsalted broth is ideal, though any kind of broth will do. If you’ve recently boiled vegetables and saved the water, that would work too.; Neutral oil. Canola is fine. Olive oil is great. (I just avoid cooking with extra virgin olive oil due to its low smoke point); Lemon juice. To taste.

Description

This creamy pasta dish is seasoned by the salty, crumby bits at the bottoms of chip bags, cracker boxes and nut canisters. We promise they’ll add a complex savory note that plays well with earthy veggies like kale.

Ingredients

Garlic. At least four regular size cloves, chopped or slivered — whatever your preference.
Pasta. I prefer whole wheat for its earthier flavor, but any pasta will do.
Kale and/or other veggies. Use what you have! I really like this dish with finely chopped kale. You’ll want at least one bunch. But any veggies you have on hand will probably be great. Spinach? Red pepper? Broccoli? Peas? Carrots? All will be at home.
Cream. Or half and half. About a cup is great.
Broth. A cup or less. If you don’t have any, that’s OK. Scrappy, unsalted broth is ideal, though any kind of broth will do. If you’ve recently boiled vegetables and saved the water, that would work too.
Neutral oil. Canola is fine. Olive oil is great. (I just avoid cooking with extra virgin olive oil due to its low smoke point)
Lemon juice. To taste.

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Instructions

Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
While the pasta is cooking chop the four cloves of garlic. I like to cut them into slivers, but any shape is fine.
Add some oil to the pan and sauté the garlic, on low-medium heat.
Beforehand, or while the garlic is sautéing, finely chop at least one bunch of kale. (If you’re using other vegetables just make sure they’re pre-cooked or small enough to cook relatively quickly once they’re in the pan.)
Put the veggies in the pan and sauté.
Pour some broth over the garlic and veggies and simmer to help soften them.
While everything is simmering, locate your salty nut powder. If it has some larger pieces (mine had some nut pieces and cracker corners), put it in a food processor and blend it into a fine powder.
Squirt some lemon juice into the pan. To taste. You can add more later if you think it needs it.
Pour the cream over the veggies and keep the heat low.
Stir the nut powder into the creamy veggies.
By now, your pasta should be done cooking. Add some pasta water to the cream sauce to help thin it out.
Sample and decide whether you want more salt, pepper, lemon juice or other herbs/spices (basil? oregano?).
Mix in as much pasta as you’d like. I tend to go lighter on the volume of pasta to make sure we’re eating our veggies.
As everyone chows down see if they can guess what the secret ingredient is!