For quite some time, I have wanted to make a tri-color vegetable dish using red, yellow, and green but never seemed to get around to it. After reviewing items purchased recently as well as current canned goods, I created this tasty side dish. It would also be great with rice, but I like the pasta element.

In the spirit of Veganomics, use the pasta and veggies you have on hand, below are just my recommendations. Also, this recipe makes a rather large amount of food, so be prepared to take advantage of leftovers.

Jenn’s Stoplight Pasta

1/2 lb (about half a box) orzo pasta
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 lb zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced
1 can (14-16 oz) corn kernels, drained
1 can (14-16 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup basil leaves, torn
fresh ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of water boil. Add salt and orzo, prepare according to package directions (about 8-10 minutes).

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet. Over medium-high heat, saute zucchini until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Add corn and tomatoes (don’t drain tomatoes thoroughly, a little juice will add flavor). Saute an additional 3-5 minutes until vegetables being to brown slightly.

Drain pasta and fold in vegetables. Add basil and pepper (to taste), can be served hot immediately or chill for 1 hour to serve cold.

Make a simple and delicious soup by placing leftovers in a small saucepan and covering with chicken or vegetable broth. Set on medium-low heat until everything is warmed, about 5-7 minutes, and enjoy. NOTE: Do not store leftovers with the broth poured in, the orzo and zucchini will absorb the liquid and turn mushy.

If you only have a small amount left and want to make a side, another great idea is mixing it with steamed rice for a vegetable pilaf. You could also add sauteed garlic, onions, and mushrooms to stretch this dish even farther.

Economically Friendly: Orzo was on sale, and it worked well in this dish. Zucchini is a great seasonal vegetable for summer, usually at $0.99 a pound. Look for canned goods sales and stock up on things you use regularly. Making soup or even a cold salad out of the leftovers is cheap way to stretch this dish.

Ecologically Responsible:Only make this if you are prepared for leftovers or feeding a crowd, otherwise it will be wasteful to make a dish this big.  This recipe can be adjusted to seasonal vegetables, or whatever is in the pantry! I’m not going to delve into the tomato-picking controversy, except to say that the only time I buy fresh tomatoes is at a Farmer’s Market.

Excellently Healthy:Pasta got a bad reputation during the no-carb phase, but it is still a healthy food – in moderation. Look for low-sodium canned vegetables, or buy fresh, local vegetables to reduce the salt content. Usually I prefer fresh produce, but corn and tomatoes are the exceptions for me.

Is there anything a little Spicy Paprika Rub can’t do? Aside from flavoring meat, this spice mixture of paprika, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and allspice is excellent on sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes lend themselves perfectly to this savory-sweet application. Like white potatoes, sweet potatoes need a long time in the oven in order to soften, so the smaller you cut the pieces the less time this dish will take.

2 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into wedges or chunks
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp Spicy Paprika Rub
1 tbsp honey

Preheat oven to 400F and coat a roasting pan heavily with cooking spray.

Combine sweet potatoes in a large, zip-locked bag with vegetable oil and paprika rub. Seal and toss contents to coat potatoes thoroughly.

Spread potatoes in a single layer in roasted pan. Drizzle with honey and bake for 30-40 minutes, depending on the size of the potato pieces. Stir every 10-15 minutes.

Bake until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork. Serve immediately.  

This is actually an old post from when I first started blogging about learning how to cook. The original recipe came from a Taste of Home magazine, though I did make some adjustments. For whatever reason, I made this several times and then almost forgot about it even though it was a definitely crowd pleaser. So now I am bringing it back in an updated post with pictures, since I didn’t take any the first time I made this.

1 tbsp olive or vegetable oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tsp dried basil
3/4 tsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 lb fresh green beans, trimmed
8 oz sliced fresh mushrooms
2 tbsp butter

In a small bowl, combine the first seven ingredients and set aside.

In a large skillet over medium or medium high heat, saute green beans and mushrooms in butter until almost tender.

Add seasoned mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until veggies are nice and tender. Voila!

This is a great recipe because it is quick, easy, and tasty! All of the ingredients for the seasoning are items I have in my pantry, and green beans are just starting to come into season. Fresh basil would be great in this recipe too, just increase the amount from 2 teaspoons to about 2 tablespoons or so finely chopped. It’s one of James’ favorite side dishes, which he constantly refers to as “green french fries.” Hey, anything to get something green on the table and our plates!

Hearty whole wheat pasta strikes a balance with fresh green vegetables in this light but filling dish, which can be made with spring or summer vegetables. The recipe is simple enough: take 2 pounds of your favorite vegetable and toss with any shaped pasta or egg noodles. I’ve added some garlic, basil, and lemon for flavor, but that’s about it. The recipe below is printed as I prepared it, but if you want to adjust the vegetables just remember to adjust cooking time as needed. This isn’t quite a one-dish meal, but would be great with some grilled chicken breasts or salmon fillets. Even though I’ve listed this as a “side dish,” it’s quite large (think 2 side dishes: pasta and veggies).

1 box (16 oz) whole wheat rotini
1 1/2 lb (2 medium) zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced
1/2 lb (8 oz) sugar snap peas
1 small onion, diced
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp olive oil, divided
1 tsp salt
1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
1/4 cup torn basil leaves
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add salt and rotini, boil 8-10 minutes until al dente. Drain and toss with 1 tsp olive oil, set aside in a large bowl.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and saute 1 minute. Add onion and saute 3-5 minutes, until onions are translucent. Add stock and bring to a simmer.

Add zucchini and snap peas to pan. Cook, uncovered, until vegetables are crisp-tender and about half of cooking liquid has evaporated, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest and juice, basil, and pepper.

Pour hot vegetable mixture over pasta. Toss well and top with additional pepper if desired.

Serve warm immediately or chill 30 minutes to serve “room temperature.” Dish can also be served cold (chill 1-2 hours).

Optional: serve topped with parmesan cheese.

These potatoes are similar to my Mexican Potatoes, but instead of just spicy I’ve added a sweet element. Peeling and chopping raw sweet potatoes can be hard work, so I cheated and bought the peeled, pre-cut variety that you can steam in the microwave, and it’s also much quicker than baking the potatoes in the oven. You will need two packages if you decide to go this route and you will want to reduce the oil to 2 tbsp since you are steaming and not baking.

3 large sweet potatoes
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne (red) pepper

Preheat oven to 400F

Peel and chop sweet potatoes into 1-inch chunks. In a large zip-locked bag, combine potatoes with the rest of the ingredients. Toss potatoes in the bag to coat. Spread out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until potatoes are tender, rearranging occasionally to prevent the sugars in the potatoes to burn.

If using the pre-cut variety, steam bags in the microwave per package directions. Combine steamed potatoes in a zip-locked bag with the other ingredients and toss to coat.

For serving, drizzle lightly with honey if desired. This dish would be great with baked apple or pear wedges. If you would like a more savory application, bake the sweet potatoes with 1 cup chopped onion and 1 tbsp minced garlic.