Part 2, Dinner-for-one Miniseries: Pasta Primavera with an Egg on Top

What I remembered this evening is that I had whole-wheat linguine in my refrigerator. Refrigerated pasta--which I buy at the grocery store, though I have an eventual goal to start making it myself--is so much better than dehydrated pasta that I can't even tell you how much better it is. Homemade pasta is that much better than refrigerated pasta, too, but since I'm not doing that yet, I do love some refrigerated pasta pasta.

I use whole-wheat pasta most of the time I make pasta. The trick with it is to be very careful not to overcook it, checking to see if it's al dente about one minute before the package directions say it will be ready with refrigerated pasta and two minutes before the package directions say it will be for dehydrated pasta. You can't let it just sit before you serve it, either, or it will start to break down and be gummy. Avoid overcooking it and leaving it to sit and you'll be okay.

As I've mentioned previously, I keep sundried tomatoes in oil in my fridge at all times. They stay good a lonnnnnng time and add a lot of flavor to a dish with the addition of only a small amount. That flavor formed the basis of this meal.

Pasta Primavera with an Egg on Top
(I thought this would make 2 servings--one to eat and one to freeze, but it made about four, so I just had extra to freeze! Of course, you could shrink what you make to be only one serving as well.)

1 pckg. refrigerated whole-wheat pasta (makes 2 to 2.5 c.)
1 zucchini
1 summer squash
1 heirloom tomato
(OR USE whatever vegetables are in season where you are)
4 T. sun-dried tomatoes in oil
3 T. olive oil
few dashes of Mrs. Dash garlic-and-herb seasoning
Lawry's seasoning salt or regular salt
pepper
2-4 T. of high-quality cheese (I used a hard cheese with peppercorns in it)
2 eggs (or 4 if you want to plan on 4 servings)

Put water on to boil for the pasta, and salt that water.

Chop the vegetables into small pieces or slices.

Grate the cheese, if necessary.

Heat the sundried tomatoes with the olive oil on low heat for a couple of minutes in a large, non-stick pan. Stir together. Toss the vegetables into 2 T. of olive oil and turn the heat up to medium. Cover, but remove the cover to stir every minute or so. Put some Mrs. Dash (or garlic, or other herbs) and Lawry's (or general salt) in a ceramic or metal bowl. When vegetables are lightly cooked, dump them into the bowl, and stir the seasonings into the vegetables.

Put the pasta in the water to boil. Be sure to quickly pour it into a collander in the sink as soon as it is done.

One minute before the pasta will be done, put your remaining tablespoon of olive oil in the veggie pan and heat it on medium. Crack the eggs into the pan, pouring them from very close to the cooking surface to keep the yolk from breaking. Cook about two minutes, spooning some hot oil onto the egg yolk as you go to partially cook the yolk. You want the eggs to be ready right before you are ready to serve the meal.

Put the pasta in serving bowls topped with veggies, then eggs, then a sprinkle of cheese and a grind of pepper. (I don't mix the cheese into the vegetables because I prefer bursts of cheesy flavor over a well-mixed, barely-there cheese taste.)

After you have served the dishes, each person can break the yolk of the egg in his/her bowl to add to the sauce in the pasta.

Delicious.