Quite often I have a lot of vegetables lying around in the fridge. Half a carrot here, a green pepper there, a zucchini or two hiding in the back. Instead of throwing them out I put them to good use with my Leftovers Pasta recipe, a mishmash of random things found knocking around in the vegetable drawer of the fridge.

Cheesy Vegetable Leftovers Pasta

Olive oil for frying

1 onion, sliced

1 clove of garlic, crushed

2 chicken breasts, diced (optional)

2 cups of diced mixed vegetables (carrots, peppers, zucchinis, peas, etc)

2 tsp of chili powder (or more to taste)

1 tsp of cumin

1 can of chopped tomatoes

2 tbs of tomato paste

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 cups of dried pasta, small shapes work best

1 cup of grated cheese

1. Fry onion and garlic for a few minutes over a medium heat. If using carrots, add now. Add chicken and fry until browned. Add any other vegetables you’re using and continue to fry for a few more minutes.

2. Add chili and cumin and stir for one minute.

3. Add tomatoes, paste, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, make pasta according to package. I’d forgotten to add the green pepper earlier so I just threw it in now!

4. Transfer to an ovenproof dish, sprinkle with grated cheese and bake for 10 minutes at 350F.

Optional: Sprinkle with chili flakes for extra spice.