Time for another recipe! I’m sure many of you have had the experience of making so much of an amazing dish that you end up with amazing leftovers. But sometimes, no matter how amazing the leftovers are, you’re just not in the mood for the same dish twice. When this happened to me this summer, I got creative and turned last night’s dinner into a totally new breakfast.
The Dinner
As I’ve discussed in previous posts, our garden was overflowing with squash and tomatoes this year. One way I enjoyed eating up these veggies was making a chunky, fresh pasta sauce. I’ve never been a fan of using a lot of canned ingredients, so I like to make my own “sauces” using veggies and spices, which I toss with brown rice pasta.
I’m not overly strict, but I am basically wheat-free, and brown rice pasta hits the spot when one of my carb cravings comes along. I like Tinkyada brand pasta, though I’m sure there are many good brands.
my favorite pasta
These pastas have a great energy saving cooking method, too. Simply boil for 5 minutes, and let sit covered for another 20 minutes. I find that it’s almost impossible to overcook brown rice pasta, so its perfect for multi-tasking and making a sauce at the same time.
Chunky Veggie Pasta Sauce
Anyway, back to the sauce . . . as with most of my cooking, I use what’s seasonal and available. Here is what I put in the sauce:
- 1 large yellow squash, chopped
- 5 small-medium tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh corn kernels
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- fresh and/or dried herbs (I used oregano, basil, and thyme, dried and fresh)
- 1-2 Tbs olive oil
- splash white wine (because, as I’ve said before, wine makes everything better)
- salt and pepper to taste
This is a very general recipe. Basically, I just sauté a bit of garlic and herbs in olive oil, throw in a bunch of fresh veggies and herbs that I think are delicious, and splash some white wine on top before serving. I toss the “sauce” with the pasta (I put this in parentheses because it’s really more like sautéed veggies and liquid than sauce–but still delicious), top with parm, and serve. It makes a wonderful, easy, healthy, dinner.
Leftover Veggie Egg Bake
But let’s get down to the main event: using up the leftovers. The pasta sauce could’ve served four, but only two of us ate it, so we had leftovers. I didn’t feel like pasta two nights in a row, but I needed to use up all the food becuase the garden doesn’t wait! So, I decided to use the veggie pasta sauce to add some veg-power to our breakfast. I added some eggs and feta cheese (for a bit of fanciness), and ended up with a protien and veggie-packed morning meal.
Ingredients:
- about 2 cups chunky veggie sauce (this is just what I had leftover–any amount would work)*
- 2 eggs*
- 1/4 cup feta cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
*I used about a 1:1 ratio for cups of veggie sauce to eggs, and I liked the results. However this dish was very heavy on the veggies, and I would up the eggs for a more quiche-like dish. Also, if you’re using a sauce with more liquid, you also may want to up the egg ratio and cook for a bit longer, so the end result isn’t too soupy.
Directions:
- Step 1: Preheat oven to 450°.
- Step 2: Use a fork to stir the eggs, breaking the yokes, in a large bowl.
- Step 3: Add the leftover veggies, feta, salt, and pepper, making sure the eggs coat everything thoroughly.
- Step 4: Pour the egg and veggie mixture into a glass baking dish.
- Step 5: Bake for 45 minutes to an hour. (45 minutes leaves a bit of liquid, while an hour should be enough to remove all the excess moisture for a firmer dish.)
- Step 6: Let cool slightly, and serve!
veggie leftovers egg bake © 2012, Juniper Stokes
This breakfast, made from two eggs and leftovers, tasted like gourmet brunch. This is my favorite new method for all veggie leftovers and I highly recommend it. Enjoy!
veggie leftovers egg bake © 2012, Juniper Stokes
