Necessity is the mother of invention and there is no better place to apply this than the kitchen. Vegan burgers, soy milk and cashew cream are great examples of this. (Not so subtle hint: I’m running a vegan cooking class tomorrow night.)

Invention is also inspired by gaps in equipment and time. Rule of thumb says we make pasta by bringing a big pot of salted water to boil and allow it to roll for 8-10 minutes. But, I’m here to tell you that you can make delicious pasta in 10 minutes in a frying pan.

Here’s what you need:

• handful of spaghetti noodles (about 1 1/2” in diametre) cut in half
• olive oil or butter (2-3 tablespoons)
• 1 cup of soup stock (chicken/vegetable/miso mixed with water)

Toppings:

Choose any of the following:

• sea salt
• fresh pepper
• garlic
• onions
• fresh basil
• fresh mint
• peas
• onions
• fresh spinach
• Parmesan cheese
• sliced mushrooms
• sliced peppers
• cherry tomatoes

Pacing Sequence

1. garlic, onions
2. any veg
3. pasta and stock
4. herbs (basil, mint, dill)
5. Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Have all your ingredients chopped and ready and within striking distance. Once the frying pan is on, you are on point!

Set your frying pan to medium heat. Add your oil. Toss in your garlic and sautée for a few minutes. Toss in your salt and pepper. Add pasta noodles. Toss with oil and garlic. Add 1/2 cup of stock. Increase the heat to medium high. Keep moving the pasta around so it doesn’t clump together. If you are using cooked meat, you can add it around the 5-6 minute mark. Continue to add stock as needed (the pan should never be dry). After about 8 minutes when the pasta is pretty much cooked add your herbs and Parmesan cheese.

Top with extra fresh herbs and Parmesan.