Leftovers recipe - macaroni peas

Mint Lane Cafe whipped up this delicious homemade dish at our Members' Day. They demonstrated how to reduce food waste, using up simple ingredients you might have lying around in your kitchen cupboards.

SERVES 4

Ingredients

• 500g peas (fresh or frozen)
• 300g small macaroni
• 50g butter
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 25g Parmesan cheese, grated, plus extra to serve
• Salt and pepper
• Basil to serve
• Optional, left over smoked salmon, tinned salmon or cooked meat

Method

1. Bring a large pan of salt water to the boil for your pasta.
2. Simmer the peas for a few minutes until tender.
3. Whilst the peas are on, cook your pasta in the large pan of salt water until al dente.
4. Whilst the peas and pasta are cooking away, melt the butter in a pan over low heat and add the chopped garlic just for a minute or two.
5. When the pear are cooked, drain them but keep the cooking water.
6. Put about half the peas, the melted garlic butter and grated cheese in a blender together with about 6 tbsp of the pea cooking water and blitz until you have a smooth and loose puree. You can add more water if needed.
7. Add the remaining whole peas and season to taste with salt and pepper.
8. Drain the pasta and mix the hot pea sauce straight away.
9. Serve topped with extra grated cheese and shredded basil if desired.
10. This is also a great dish to use up left over smoked salmon, tinned salmon or cooked meat like bacon or roast chicken. Simply mix through at the end.

Waste not, want not.

We also hosted upcycling workshops from Mansions of the Future including how to turn empty milk bottles into storage boxes, perfect for keepsakes. Watch our tutorial below! 🎥⬇