I don’t know about you but I have this thing where I shop and SWEAR I’m going to eat all of the vegetables I buy and then at the end of the week there are lots of good but quickly going down hill vegetables left. I don’t want to waste it but I don’t want to sit down and gnaw on a big old zucchini either. Ya know?
So to use up those end of week vegetables I created an end of the week dish that my whole family loves and it’s super easy to make. No matter how many times you make it you will probably never make the same thing because it can be changed up according to what vegetables, meat or pasta you have on hand.

End of Week Veggies and Pasta

1. Pull all of the vegetables out of the fridge and sort according to cooking time.
2. Butternut squash and sweet potato take a while while spinach only needs to wilt a minute or two. Sort the vegetables into long, medium and short cooking times to ensure that the squash is cooked but the kale isn’t mushy.
3. Chop an onion and saute it in extra virgin olive oil in a deep skillet or soup pot (depending on how much you are making), add a little chopped garlic if you have it.
4. If you wish to add meat this is where it goes in. I like fully cooked chicken sausage. Simply slice and add. Or Turkey sausages removed from the casing and browned like ground beef.
5. Peel and chop all of the vegetables that need a long cooking time and add them to the pot. Butternut squash, sweet potato, peppers, turnip or carrot
6. Simmer until a fork goes in but not too easily. Don’t cook these vegetables until they are done or they will be over cooked at the end.
7. Add peeled and chopped vegetables that don’t need as long to cook. Zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, tomatoes (Yes, you can add canned tomatoes) 
8. Again, saute until semi done.
9. Add your choices of seasoning – Italian seasoning, or maybe just salt and pepper.
10. Finally, put in any vegetables that need only a couple of minutes to cook. Spinach, kale
11. Saute just until greens are wilted.
12. Finally, add cooked pasta or potato gnocchi right from the boiling pot of water to the sauteed vegetables using a slotted spoon. Adding a little of the pasta cooking water as you transfer pasta to the pot will help to thicken everything up.
13. Serve with shredded cheese if desired.

It’s hot, it’s healthy and it’s wonderful comfort food. Plus you get to feel virtuous for not wasting groceries.