I was in a rut in terms of what to make for dinner one night and looked through the fridge to see what I could make. I always know that pasta or spaghetti dinners are a standby for most families but I wanted to make and eat something more fresh for the hot summer days. The best part about this dish is that you can add or take away any veggies you want. It's a very flavourful dish without being heavy or spicy. It's definitely a refreshing way to have spaghetti.
Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup red onion, chopped
- 1 cup deli ham (your fav!)
- 1/2 cup kalamata black olives (or green olives if you prefer)
- 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
- juice of 1 lime
- 3 tbsp good quality olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup white wine or pasta water
- 1/4 cup low sodium chicken stock
- 1 tsp vegetable seasoning blend
- 1/2 tsp dried basil or use fresh if you have it
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- pinch of salt
- 1 cup red peppers, chopped
- 1 cup tomatoes, diced (one medium sized tomato usually yields 1 cup)
- 2 green onions, chopped diagonally
- Cooked Spaghetti
First put a huge pot of boiling water and cook the spaghetti, following the instructions on the back of the package. Note that when you are measuring how much spaghetti to cook think that 1.5 cm to 2 cm thickness when gripping the spaghetti is enough spaghetti for one person. Cook until al dente, drain and leave it aside until you're ready with the sauce.
In a deep large skillet, on medium high heat, add in the olive oil and the garlic and after 30 seconds once you start smelling the garlic add in the red onion, ham, and the kalamata olives. Saute for about 2 minutes then add in the herbs and seasoning. Throw in the mushrooms and add the white wine or pasta water and the chicken stock and let the sauce reduce for about 5 minutes. Then squeeze the lime juice and add back the spaghetti dropping the heat back to low. Using tongs mix the spaghetti with the vegetables thoroughly and then quickly add in the diced tomatoes and the green onions. If you find it the spaghetti too dry cause you have reduced the sauce too much then add a bit more chicken stock or olive oil. Serve immediately.
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