by Alice Correia Morton

Although I didn’t give myself enough time to make this recipe vegan, it is completely vegetarian. The key ingredient of the dish is one of Tesco’s pre-prepared medleys of ‘vegetables with herbed butter’, particularly the one comprised of asparagus, edamame beans and tender stem broccoli etc..

It tends to be in the reduced section after holidays, branded ‘Easter Medley’ or ‘Valentine’s Medley’ respectively. The other ingredients are not particularly expensive but the strong flavour of the herb butter makes it a decent pasta dish. To be honest, there’s so little to do that it’s barely a recipe, but it does make for a convenient, mid-week supper.   

Ingredients:

Vegetable medley with herbed butter

Juice of half a lemon

Dried penne (for 2-3 people)

Half a pot of crème fraîche

A splash of vermouth (white wine or water work as substitutes)

A handful of chives, finely chopped

A pinch of salt

Pepper to taste

Method:

1. Cook the vegetables according to instructions in either an oven or microwave.
2. Boil the penne to al dente.
3. Drain the water from the pasta pot.
4. Add the vegetables to the drained penne along with the creme fraiche, lemon juice, and vermouth.
5. Stir well, making sure that the vegetables are evenly spread.
6. Once the butter has melted, combine with the crème fraîche to form a herbed sauce.
7. If necessary, add more crème fraîche to increase the volume of sauce.
8. Serve in bowls sprinkled with chives.
9. Add salt and pepper to taste.