creations from my fridge

I always feel very proud of myself when taking whatever is in the cupboards and making a fabulous meal. My mother was really good at it,I have many happy memories of her creations with left overs! Today it was a pasta and vege fritatta for lunch, not your usual one but one made from spiral pasta, silver beet, spinach, onion, bits of bacon, zuchinni and fresh eggs we have collected from looking after the neighbours chooks. It was baked in a cake tin and if I say so myself absolutely delicious sliced neatly onto a plate decorated with a roasted tomato and fresh basil (said neighbour left for me!) To be fair I had to adjust a recipe I had on file (I didn't have all the ingredients), but it was so yummy and healthy I have created a new recipe.

Pasta and Vegetable Bake

¾ cup of spiral pasta

2 tsp olive oil

4 slices bacon (you could use ham – but don’t fry it)

1 medium onion

1 medium zucchini

2 cups rinsed silverbeet (stalks removed) and/or spinach

½ cup frozen or canned corn

1/3 c grated parmesan cheese (I use a Microplane zester/grater, if haven’t got one buy one!)

4 medium eggs

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C or 160°C fan-forced. Spray a square cake tin (I used a round one) with oil. If you only have a spring-form one make sure there is tinfoil on the rack – it will leak all over your oven! You could also line the sides and base with baking paper.

Cook the pasta in salted water until just tender, drain

Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the bacon and cook stirring for 5 mins, remove and drain on paper towel, set to one side. Add the onion to the same pan, cook 3-5 minutes until soft, stirring so it does not burn, add the zucchini and cook for 3 minutes, add the corn (if frozen) spinach/silver beet and cook until wilted. Place all the vegetables into a bowl with the pasta and parmesan cheese and stir to combine. Spoon into the greased cake tin. Lightly beat the eggs in the bowl, add the cooked bacon, season with salt and pepper and pour the mixture over the pasta mixture. Bake about 30 minutes or until set and golden. Serve the frittata cut into squares.

I put the bacon into the eggs as it sits on top and forms more of a crispy layer to the frittata.