I'd rather cook than study

Well...I probably should not be blogging but I just cannot bare the though of reading many(boring) chapters on social science research strategies! Nor am I in the mood to study for my psychology exams or write several random assignments. School burnout very soon. Winter semester has been hectic and continues to get increasingly more hectic, I am sooo looking forward to the end of this semester and enjoy several months of freedom! When I know that I will be home studying, I tend to make myself a big lunch to tie me over. I wanted lots of veggies and in hindsight, should have added even more! This recipe is rough around the edges so feel free to throw in whatever spices, vegetables, fiber, anything you want into it! I made it up while I was cooking.

Baked Veggie Pasta with Bacon (serves 4)

3/4 Bag of Macaroni
1 Zucchini
1 Yellow Onion
3 Cloves of Garlic
1/2 Bag of Enoki Mushrooms
1/2 Cauliflower Head
4 Asparagus Stalks
1/2 Lemon (optional)
Cup of Tomato Sauce (I used Ragu brand)
2 Tablespoons of Pesto (I used Classico brand)
1/3 Cup of Chedder (or Mozerella) small cubes
1/3 Cup of Shredded Chedder
1/2 Cup of Parmesan
1/4 Cup of Breadcrumbs
4 Pieces of Bacon
2 Teaspoon of Olive Oil

2 Teaspoon of Chili Powder (add more if you like it spicy or
jalapeno peppers)
Cracked Black Pepper & Salt
Sprigs of Parsley

Chop into small pieces: cauliflower, asparagus, zucchini, mushrooms, parsley. Dice garlic and onions. Cook bacon on pan and soak fat with paper towel or do it the lazy way by laying pieces on plate lined with paper towel and place paper towel on top of bacon. Microwave for 2.5 minutes then cut up into pieces.

In a medium sized pot, boil macaroni until tender - about 10minutes (remember to salt the water to flavor the noodles). When tender, drain noodles and place in a pot to sit. Set oven to 375degrees.

Heat pan up with olive oil then add garlic on high heat, add onions, turn down to medium heat. Add in cauliflower and saute for about 3 minutes then add zucchini and asparagus pieces. Saute for about 8 minutes until vegetables are somewhat tender and add mushrooms and parsley. Turn heat up to medium high and squeeze lemon juice over the vegetables (completely optional, I had half a lemon in the fridge so I figued why not). Cook until all veggies are tender for about 5 minutes. Turn down heat to medium low and season with chili powder, salt and pepper. Pour veggies into same pot as macoroni noodles. Heat up tomato sauce with pesto on a pan - takes only a few minutes. Throw sauce into pot with noodles and veggies. Pour in breadcrumbs and cheddar cheese cubes into pot. Mix until everything is coated and distribute evenly. Pour into a large casserole dish and sprinkle cheddar and Parmesan cheese over top. Bake for 40 minutes.



It was a bit hectic when I was making the dish as I was making things up as I went along. I had the hardiest time opening the sauce jar too! I would do some things differently such as adding one whole head of cauliflower, one more zucchini, whole bag of enoki mushrooms, tomatoes and spinach. Add some ground flax seeds to the breadcrumb mixture to pump up the nutrients in the dish. The addition of the vegetables means that I would reduce the macaroni content to 3/5 of a big. Hopefully, things will go smoother for you and I do hope you enjoy the recipe. =)