Exploration 1: Vegetarian Italian Pasta Skillet Dinner*

I regret not having thought through trying to become vegetarian BEFORE I went grocery shopping. Yesterday was one of those days where by the time dinner rolled around, all I really wanted to do was pop in a pizza and have at it. As I found myself digging through the pantry, I realized that I I didn't change my shopping habits before I splurged for food.

Supreme Pizza, Hamburger Helper, Lunch Meat, Chicken Soup, Chicken Marinara Frozen Food, etc.

So I reached for my phone. I've saved a variety of recipes that I've found this week. Many sounded wonderful, but their ingredient list was about as complex as the directions on how to prepare it. Typically I see such adventures as fun, in this particular moment, I wasn't having it. Had it not been for this blog, I would have just fried some sliced potatoes with diced hot-dogs, something of a comfort food of mine. But I wanted to offer something for today.

It seems that's how most food blogs and recipes are though, complicated. Trust me, even before starting this exploration I've spent a substantial amount of time skimming the web for maps to good food..add 3/4 this, add 1/2 this, put this exotic spice before that exotic spice, you'll also need this one ingredient that you have drive an hour away to get, before using that stuff you can only find in your neighbors backyard after it rains in the first week of the third month in leap year AND an eye of newt.

You get my point.

It's no wonder THOSE recipes taste delicious. But what about the more simple ones? Do simple, healthy, flavor packed recipes exist?

Well I don't know, BUT I did find one that looked fairly promising - Vegetarian Italian Pasta Skillet Dinner.

The ingredient list was simple: onion, mushroom, 1 can of Italian vegetable soup, spinach and either Parmesan or mozzarella cheese (well look at that, I even memorized it already.)

Ingredient list is simple enough, I'm already starting out on a good foot and the mere fact that I can recite to you how to cook it, even better. EASY!

The recipe specified using a PROGRESSO soup. My local grocery store offered a moderate selection of a verity of soups including Progresso. Italian Vegetable wasn't among the choices. In fact, nearly all the soups had some sort of meat protein in them. Just as I was about to say, "F-it!" and walk out, on the bottom shelf I noticed a colorful label of vegetarian soup. Happy Day!

Also, the recipe also called for "frozen sausage-style soy protein." My local grocery story didn't carry it so it was omitted. Frankly, I'm not yet sure how I feel about eating soy disguised as meat to begin with. I mean, that's just weird. I'm not completely convinced it's safe to eat, I mean - how can you get a vegetable to look and taste like a meat? What black magic is someone playing with anyway?

I'm sure it is though because hippies and health nuts have been eating them long before I started down this road so had it not been healthy and good to eat, I'm sure we've heard it by now. Especially me, I've lived in New Mexico, Seattle and Reno - HIPPIES GALORE! Have you not heard of Burning Man?

I do like tofu though - just have no idea how to cook it. That will be later though. Back to point!

I think cooking like was just under 15 minutes. That was nice granted I didn't want to cook to begin with. It also looked just the photos, supper yummy! What I did notice right after the soup came to a boil...it lacked seasoning. I couldn't smell it! Not a good sign, so I dumped in some Italian Seasoning in hopes that it would help it out.

Overall, I was satisfied with how the presentation came out and the time it took to prepare from start to finish. It truly was a simple recipe.

However, it is essentially a glorified soup - just a step sideways from the glorified Ramen Noodles I started with in attempt one.

We have a can of soup, that we added spinach, onions and mushrooms to. Then sprinkled with cheese.

The flavor was flat; not NEARLY as complex as I was hoping it would be, especially since it's Italian. This may have been my fault, however. First, I didn't use Progresso. I used an unfamiliar label - I've had Progresso before and they have good soup. I may have lost some of the flavor with that substitute.

Had I known this was going to be the outcome, I'm not sure if I would have grabbed mozzarella. Perhaps Parmesan, Feta or even a little bit of blue cheese. It needed something...je ne sais quoi, but mozzarella wasn't it.

Next, I didn't add the soy crumbles. Again, I have no idea what that is really or what it taste like, however - if it's anything like actual sausage, it's salty and would consequentially  add salt to this dish - mine lacked that staple. Also, the recipe called for fresh spinach. I have a ton of spring mix I bought for salads and because of my dietary restrictions this week, I'm not going through it all that fast so I just used that.

Not sure if that would affect anything though.

I ate it however with a side off spicy peppers and after throwing on some salt and pepper. On Snapchat I said that I'd probably revisit it, but after thinking about it over the night - I'm not sure I would. I mean, if anything I learned I can doctor up soup just as I could Ramen Noodles, but don't think I found this dish all that worth keeping.

I'd say it was moderately successful with a low chance of me revisiting it or adding it to my list of "go-tos" once this vegetarian thing gets going.

To see the recipe and try it yourself go here: Vegetarian Italian Pasta Skillet Dinner.