Moving house is never easy, leave alone moving across the ocean. Here I was on the 2nd day in a new place and home with just the basic kitchen starter kit and some spices to tide me by till my shipment arrives (many weeks later). Today was my first day of work too. Returning from work, I decided to make a super simple pasta. I had been eating out for almost a month while packing and getting ready to move that I decided I needed to start cooking. I had bought rice and lentils, but cooking them without a cooker seemed time consuming and pasta seemed the easiest – one pot dish. I had some pasta, vegetables and some spices. I did not have measuring utensils, so they are approximate measurements as cooking should always be. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 500 g pasta (1 pound)
• 1 medium sized onion
• 1-2 tbsp finely chopped garlic
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 big or 2 small capsicum
• 6 stuffing mushrooms or 1 packet button mushrooms (250g / 8 oz), sliced
• approx 1 cup fresh spinach
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp garlic and herb spice (or mixed italian spice)
• a dash of cayenne pepper (or red chilli flakes)

Directions

• Cook pasta according to the box
• In a pan, heat 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• Add onions and garlic and saute for a few minutes
• Add the mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes
• Now add the carrots and capsicum and saute. Take care that the veggies are crisp
• Add spinach and let it wilt
• Add some salt and spices and mix well. Serve hot
• you can sprinkle some cheese on top