Brought to you by SuperValu
If you thought the family could never LOVE veg, well…
Currently, SuperValu is on a mega mission to let the nation know just how tasty and fresh their fruit and vegetables are. Being the ones who consistently supply the best seasonal fruit and veg ranges, especially those sourced from Irish growers, they’re perfectly placed to encourage more of us to #LoveFruitandVeg. After all, in-season produce is tastier, more nutritious and it incurs fewer food miles. (Hurrah!)
And at SuperValu, it’s so easy to identify the freshest and best-quality local produce at superb value too.
So, just two weeks ago, we went on the hunt to find a family who would really like to include more fruit and veg in their diet and meals. Countless families signed up but one lucky bunch nabbed the chance to get cooking with The Happy Pear.
“9/10 people do not get enough fibre in their diet. The best entry point is to start with fruit — strawberries/blackberries are in season at the moment and are superb.” – The Happy Pear
Lisa Curtis, from Raheen, Co. Wexford, is open to eating all foods, but says she has “three children with three different tastes” and an entirely carnivorous husband. At 11, nine and seven years of age, we totally understand how those picky munchkins might need some encouragement to take in the daily fruit or veg recommendation of at least seven a day.
Added to this, Lisa said that with their busy lifestyle, she felt her family’s eating habits had gotten out of hand with the amount of processed foods they consume.
So, with Lisa committed to making a change for the better and The Happy Pair ready to lend their expertise in helping Lisa pull together the most glorious, nutritious and tasty dish, here it is:
And here’s the full recipe to make the One Pot Creamy Tomato Pasta dish (cost per head: €1.39):
Serves 4
Cook and prep. time 15 mins
3 of your 7 a day/serving
One-Pot Creamy Tomato Pasta
Ingredients:
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 onion
- 1 aubergine
- 150g mushrooms (any mushrooms of your choice)
- 1 ½ tbsp oil
- 4 tbsp tamari
- 100ml water
- 2x400g tins chopped tomatoes
- 100g tomato puree
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- ½ tsp Black pepper
- 500g wholemeal pasta (use gluten-free if you prefer)
- 500ml non-dairy milk
- 500ml veg stock
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
- small bunch fresh basil leaves
Method:
1. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Slice the aubergine into small bite-size pieces, then finely chop the mushrooms.
2. Add 1 ½ tbsp oil to a large saucepan and place on high heat. Once the pan is warm, add your chopped onion and garlic, then cook for two minutes stirring regularly or until it starts to brown.
3. Add the mushrooms and aubergine to the pan and cook for two minutes. Then add the tamari and cook until it’s all absorbed or evaporated (about two minutes).
4. Add the water and cook for a further five minutes. Both the aubergine and the mushrooms should be soft and super tasty.
5. Add the tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, maple syrup and black pepper. Mix well.
6. Add the pasta to the pan. If using spaghetti, break this into the pan so that it all fits and is submerged in the liquid. Add the non-dairy milk and the vegetable stock, then mix well.
7. Once the water starts to boil, reduce the heat and leave to simmer, ensuring the lid is off so that the liquid can evaporate. Every so often, take a wooden spoon and gently mix through the pasta, ensuring it doesn’t stick together.
8. Once the sauce is reduced and the pasta is al dente, add the nutritional yeast and roughly tear the basil leaves, garnishing each serving with it.
Don’t forget, and as advised by The Happy Pear — “ensure that when dinner time comes along, everyone is hungry, and they will all be more than willing to eat ALL their fruit and veg!”
Voilà and enjoy!
Brought to you by SuperValu
Love fruit and veg? It’s got to be SuperValu. SuperValu is committed to being the biggest supporter of local and Irish producers, supporting over 1,800 food producers across Ireland. With its trusted supplier network, they’re able to offer you the best quality fruit and veg. Shop in-store or online.
