"P-Cubed" (Pantry Perfect Pasta!)

I came home from practice today craving pasta, but I was not in the mood for some plain, ordinary spaghetti dish- I wanted to shake things up a bit. Unfortunately, my stock of fresh veggies in the refrigerator is low at the moment, so my resources were limited. Despite my extreme hunger, I was able to avert my focus away from my aching stomach and think, where else could I find veggies in my house? And just like that, I saw a light of hope cross my pathway, not like "The Light" you see when you are about to depart from the physical world, no, it was the light towards the savior of my hunger problems- the pantry!! 

I ran over to it and frantically searched through the various cans of veggies. With my Dad being, well, a cheap fellow, we have quite the plethora of canned fruits and veggies in our pantry, because they were either marked down due to overshippment or because he had a coupon. Score 1 for Daddy Dearest!

Here is what I found to incorporate into my spur of the moment pasta dish:

Pantry Items:
- Sliced Zucchini in a Tomato Puree
- Beans (Regular Brown)
- Diced Black Olives
- Whole Wheat Noodles

How did this mixture come out you ask?

                                                                        Ta-Da!!!

In Emeril Lagasse's words, "BAM!"

To  complete my dish, I added my fair share of spices which included the following:
- Minced Onion
- Rosemary
- Dill
- Garlic Powder (My favorite)
- Sea Salt
- Parmesan Cheese

No measurements, just another one of my own improv' dishes :)

Being a health nut, I was concerned about using canned veggies as opposed to fresh because I thought that with them being stored in a can, that means they have been processed in order to remain edible for long periods of time, therefore, my dish would not be healthy! NOOO!!!!!!

To my advantage, I was entirely wrong! YES! Score 1 for me! After consuming my creation in under 5 minutes, (the intense hunger got the best of me, now I sit here at the computer typing away while my stomach is in sheer agony) I thought I would research the assets of canned veggies.

Here are a couple key benefits I found on www.livestrong.com,

Not only are canned veggies easily accessible, not to mention cheap, they also preserve many of their nutrients during the canning and storing process and are able to maintain them throughout their existence in the can. In contrast to fresh veggies which loose a majority of their crucial nutrients during storage and shipping.

In addition, canned veggies are a much safer choice in terms of avoiding microbial contamination, which can result in severe food poisoning if too much is consumed. 

So there you have it folks, my Pantry Perfect Pasta was a success! There is a nutritious side to canned veggies after all, so stock up! What will you add to your own "P-Cubed" recipe?

Check my next post this Sunday, January 27th, to see my first Pinterest food challenge attempt! Wish me luck!!!!