I don’t buy a lot of convenience foods.
There aren’t a lot of convenience food choices here – no boxes of ingredients to which you just ‘add meat’ and very few cans or packages that one ‘heats & eats’. I wouldn’t buy them anyway.
I don’t buy salad dressings or meat marinades or pasta sauces or that type of thing, either, except….
I do buy ketchup and mayonnaise and prepared mustard and pesto and pesto rosso.
Somethings are just too much work to make myself.
I have made mayonnaise and pesto and pesto rosso so you can click on the recipe and make your own. I’m happy with what I find in the Italian section of my supermarket.
Click here to Pin Pasta with Summer Squash and Pesto Rosso
PrintPasta with Summer Squash and Pesto Rosso
This is a quick pasta / vegetable side dish that we like served just warm or room temp, so it’s easy to make ahead.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Pasta Sides
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup (4oz, 120gr) bite-size pasta
- 1 medium summer squash, (12oz, 360gr) quartered lengthwise, then sliced
- 2 medium shallots, chopped
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 3 tbs pesto rosso
- 1/3 cup (3oz, 90g) Greek yogurt
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- When done, drain.
- Heat olive oil in a medium skillet
- Add shallots, squash, and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes.
- Add paprika and sauté briefly
- Add pesto rosso, stir well and remove from heat.
- Stir in yogurt, pasta, and serve.
Notes
You could use regular, green pesto if you prefer.
The squash I used was green (aka: zucchini). Use any color you like.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 recipe
- Calories: 447
- Sugar: 7.2 g
- Sodium: 273 mg
- Fat: 21 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 50.9 g
- Fiber: 3.7 g
- Protein: 14.4 g
- Cholesterol: 6.2 mg
Keywords: pasta, pesto rosso, summer squash, zucchini
I’m sure there are other processed foods that I buy…. pickles, horseradish.
Since the pandemic started and we’ve been in and out of lockdown I have seen more convenience food in the supermarkets. Usually they are main courses: Chicken Cordon Bleu, Tiki Masala, Boeuf Bourguignon. It coincided with the restaurants having to be closed.
I haven’t tried any.
Most, if not all, of the supermarkets have large ‘deli’ sections with main courses, snacks, and sides that are made at the store. Other than the nem (Vietnamese spring rolls) I have tried any of those offerings, either.
The other thing I’ve noticed recently is that there is more packaged ‘local’ meat. I can now buy 4 chicken breasts from free range chickens raised locally for the same price as I can buy 10 of the big farm, store special brand.
I’ve been buying the more expensive local foods. We don’t eat a lot of meat and I would rather support local farmers. Sometimes, behind the meat counter, the names and photos of the farmers are posted.
The free range chicken tastes better, too – and added bonus.
I don’t buy a lot of processed/pre-packaged/condiment type foods except for salad dressing. My husband has a salad every lunch and dinner during the week and he uses gobs of the dressing. I can’t get him to stop so believe it or not, it’s cheaper for me to buy bottled dressing than to make my own. I still make my own though for pasta salads and big weekend salads that we both eat. I also tend to buy my meat from the local farms in the area. You’re right, it just all tastes so much better 🙂
My hubs has salads every day when we have lettuce in the garden. I wouldn’t be able to buy and store enough for 2 every day. I’d be shopping all the time! I finally have picked 2 tomatoes so I think the corner has turned and we’ll be eating tomatoes for awhile – I hope. Assuming we get some sunshine and the blight stays away.
I love that community idea of showing photos of the farmers !
France does love to promote the farmers – which is fine by me. I like to buy locally