Cycle Jar

This tagliatelle pasta is a great recipe for weeknights! The sauce, made of largely pantry ingredients, only simmers for 15 minutes...just enough time to boil our noodles.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon (15 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium shallot, chopped
1½ cups (375 mL) chopped carrots
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon (5 mL) dried oregano
¼ teaspoon (1 mL) red pepper flakes
¼ cup (60 mL) dry white wine
1 tablespoon (15 mL) balsamic vinegar
1 can (14.5 ounces/411 g) diced tomatoes
4 ounces (125 g) tagliatelle pasta
2 cups (500 mL) chopped kale leaves
½ cup (125 mL) cooked cannellini beans
¼ cup (60 mL) pine nuts
2 teaspoons (10 mL) capers
Chopped chives or other herbs (basil, parsley, etc.)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Grated Parmesan cheeses.

This quick and easy pesto pasta is a delicious vegetarian weeknight dinner! We like to add a handful of arugula, but feel free to skip it or use our favorite soft greens in its place.

Ingredients
6 ounces spaghetti, reserve 1/2 cup starchy pasta water
1/3 to 1/2 cup basil pesto or vegan pesto
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Fresh lemon juice, as desired
4 cups arugula
2 tablespoons pine nuts
Pinches of red pepper flakes
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan

We could eat this simple pasta recipe every night of the week! Cashews and marinara blend into a luscious tomato sauce that coats floppy noodles and sautéed veggies. If we’re short on fresh ingredients, skip the zucchini, and substitute frozen spinach for fresh.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons finely minced shallot
1 large garlic clove, finely minced
¼ teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 14-ounce can chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
⅛ teaspoon cane sugar
Pinch of dried oregano
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes.

Has anyone else been craving comfort food lately? Well, good news! It doesn’t take much to make a big, creamy pot of homemade mac and cheese. For a fresh twist, brighten it up with a scoop of frozen peas. They’re just as tasty and nutritious as fresh ones.

Ingredients
3 cups 12 ounces elbow macaroni
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk, at room temp (I used almond milk)
1 cup shredded Havarti cheese
1 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, more to taste
freshly ground black pepper

In this recipe, basic pantry ingredients like white beans and nutritional yeast blend into a bright, velvety pasta sauce. We like to add fresh broccoli, but frozen broccoli or peas work nicely too. This creamy vegan pasta is the perfect weeknight meal! Coated in a tangy, luscious white bean sauce, it's comforting, healthy, and easy to make.

Ingredients
2½ cups small shell pasta
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
5 cups broccoli florets, chopped stems, and leaves (keep stems separate)
¼ cup toasted pine nuts
lemon wedges, for serving

This chickpea salad sandwich recipe is our vegan spin on a pan bagnat! Crunchy veggies, herbs, and olives fill it with bright and briny flavor. This chickpea salad sandwich is a fantastic weekday lunch! If we want to prep it in advance, make the chickpea mixture ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Chickpea Salad
1½ cups cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons tahini
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ garlic clove
1 teaspoon capers
1 green onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

This chickpea salad makes a sandwich that’s equally good. Thanks to Dijon mustard, capers, and lemon juice, it’s tangy, briny, and bright. Skip the cilantro if we don’t have any.

Nearly all the ingredients to these hearty enchiladas will keep for months. Their flavorful veggie filling stars black beans and butternut squash, and their sauce is just adobo sauce from a can of chipotles. If we don’t have scallions on hand, use any diced onion instead, and don’t forget to keep a stash of tortillas in our freezer.

This curried lentil soup is one of our favorite pantry recipes. Coconut milk gives it a rich, creamy broth, and curry powder, ginger, and fire-roasted tomatoes fill it with bold flavor.

There’s nothing we love more than making a delicious meal out of what the have on hand. It’s thrilling to reach into the cupboard and pull out a can of tomatoes and a bag of dried lentils and imagine what pantry recipes we can make. Flash forward thirty minutes, and they’ve transformed into a creamy curried soup that’s flavorful, comforting, and nourishing.