B and I are really working on using up ingredients that are sitting in our fridge, freezer or cupboards before making another shopping trip…this is a difficult task especially for one person who loves takeout, and the other who loves cooking new recipes. Well, every night can’t be gourmet, so we gave it a go. What was in our freezer? Frozen tortellini, frozen veggies, shallots on the counter, a lemon in the fridge and fresh Parmesan. I recalled that I had a recipe for something similar in my Real Simple cookbook…and I did! I made a couple changes, but it’s essentially the same, and incredibly fast, easy and delicious!
Ingredients
1 bag of frozen cheese ravioli or totellini
1/4 cup reserved cooking water from pasta
1/2 bag of frozen veggies (mixed, peas, whatever you like!)
3 Tablespoons of butter
2 Shallots thinly sliced
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/4 cup grated Parmesan (my addition…I can’t have pasta, even cheese pasta without fresh cheese…)
Salt and Pepper
Directions
Bring a pot of water to a boil and add salt to the water. Add the frozen (or fresh) pasta until cooked, reserve 1/4 cup of cooking water and drain the pasta. Set aside.
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and add the shallots. Cook until soft, about 3 minutes.
Add the frozen veggies, cooking water, lemon zest, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper to the skillet. Cook partially covered until veggies are heated through, about 3 minutes.
Add the strained pasta to the skillet with the veggie mixture. Add 1/4 cup of freshly grated Parmesan and stir until combined. Divide among bowls and enjoy!
The Simple Elements 