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Wholemeal pasta with tomato and vegetables

Wholemeal pasta with tomato and vegetables
Photo: Mack Male from Edmonton, AB, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Ingredients

For 4 servings. 1 serving = 1 adult; a 6-year-old eats about half.

  • Wholemeal pasta300 g
  • Tomatoes280 g (~2½ medium)
  • Capsicum80 g (~½)
  • Zucchini120 g (~½ medium)
  • Brown onions80 g (~½ medium)
  • Garlic4 cloves
  • Cheddar cheese40 g
  • Sunflower or rice-bran oil1 tbsp
  • Salt¾ tsp
  • Black pepper (crushed)a pinch

You need

  • Medium saucepan with lid
  • Sieve or colander
  • Kadai or deep sauté pan with lid
  • Sharp knife and chopping board
  • Box grater
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Lunchboxes with ice bricks
  • Insulated food jar

Method

  1. The night before: bring 4 L (about 16 cups) water to the boil in the saucepan on high with a pinch of the salt. Add 300 g pasta and boil for 1 minute less than the packet says, until just tender. Drain in the sieve.
  2. The night before: while the pasta cooks, chop 80 g (~½ medium) onion and 4 cloves garlic, dice 120 g (~½ medium) zucchini and 80 g (~½) capsicum small, and chop 280 g (~2½ medium) tomato.
  3. The night before: heat 1 tbsp oil in the kadai on medium for 1 minute. Cook the onion for 3 minutes until soft, then the garlic for 30 seconds.
  4. The night before: add the zucchini and capsicum and stir for 3 minutes. Add the tomato, the rest of the ¾ tsp salt and a pinch pepper. Cover and cook on medium for 5 minutes, until the tomato collapses.
  5. The night before: take the lid off, press the tomato down with the spoon and cook 2 minutes more, until thick. Toss in the pasta.
  6. The night before: spread it in a wide box to cool, then put it in the fridge within an hour.
  7. In the morning: grate 40 g cheese.
  8. In the morning, for a warm lunch: fill the thermos with boiling water and leave it 5 minutes. Reheat the pasta in the kadai with a splash of water on medium for 3–4 minutes until steaming hot. Tip out the water, fill the thermos and scatter over the cheese.
  9. In the morning, for a cold lunch: spoon the cold pasta into the lunchbox, scatter over the cheese and pack with an ice brick.

Make it easier

  • The night before: Cook the pasta and sauce tonight; pack cold or warm in a thermos.

Keeping and freezing

  • Fridge: keeps 1 day in a lidded box. Cool it within an hour of cooking.
  • Freezer: does not freeze well; eat within the fridge time.

Good to know

  • Contains: gluten (wheat, oats), milk / dairy.
  • Toddlers: take their portion out before adding chilli or pepper.